Soliloquy

For other uses, see Soliloquy (disambiguation).

This article is about speeches to oneself. For the psychological phenomenon, see self-talk.

A soliloquy (/səˈlɪl.ə.kwi, soʊˈlɪl.oʊ-/, from Latin solo "to oneself" + loquor "I talk",^[1] plural soliloquies) is a monologue addressed to oneself, thoughts spoken out loud without addressing another character.^[2][3]

Soliloquies are used as a device in drama. In a soliloquy, a character typically is alone on a stage and makes their thoughts, feelings, and intentions known to the audience, addressing it directly or take it into their confidence, wholly or in part. English Renaissance drama used soliloquies to great effect, such as in the soliloquy "To be, or not to be", the centerpiece of Shakespeare's Hamlet.^[4][5]

See also

• Aside
• Backstory
• Exposition (narrative)
• Internal monologue
• List of narrative techniques
• Narration

References

1. "Soliloquy | drama". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
2. Hasegawa, Yoko (2010). Soliloquy in Japanese and English. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Pub. Co. p. 2. ISBN 978-90-272-8753-3. OCLC 697617483.
3. Adam, Abdulaziz M. (10 September 2015). Soliloquies as a Dramatic Technique in Advancing the Plot In Shakespeare's Play Hamlet (Thesis thesis). Sudan University of Science and Technology.
4. "Soliloquy – Definition and Examples of Soliloquy". Literary Devices. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
5. Selleck, Nancy (15 December 2020). "Interpersonal Soliloquy: Self and Audience in Shakespeare and Augustine". English Literary Renaissance. 51 (1): 63–95. doi:10.1086/711602. ISSN 0013-8312. S2CID 229181829.