Soliloquy
noun
An act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially in a play.
The villain of the play delivered a long soliloquy about his plan to overthrow the king.
Often appears as...
- deliver a soliloquy
- write a soliloquy
Usage tips
Literary
noun
A conversation with oneself, a self talk.
Lost in his thoughts, he began a soliloquy about the meaning of life.
noun
An act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially in a play.
The villain of the play delivered a long soliloquy about his plan to overthrow the king.
Often appears as...
- deliver a soliloquy
- write a soliloquy
Usage tips
Literary
noun
A conversation with oneself, a self talk.
Lost in his thoughts, he began a soliloquy about the meaning of life.
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Dramatic Reveals
In plays, soliloquies are often used to reveal characters' secret thoughts or plans that aren't spoken in dialogue.
During his soliloquy, the hero confessed his undying love, unheard by others.
Pro Tip 2/3Stage Solitude
When delivering a soliloquy, the character is usually alone on stage, creating an intimate atmosphere with the audience.
She stood solo, her soliloquy letting us glimpse her inner turmoil.
Pro Tip 3/3Not a Dialogue
Don't confuse a soliloquy with dialogue; it's a solo speech without interaction from other characters.
At the play's climax, his soliloquy was a lone voice in the silence.
Pro Tip 1/3Dramatic Reveals
In plays, soliloquies are often used to reveal characters' secret thoughts or plans that aren't spoken in dialogue.
During his soliloquy, the hero confessed his undying love, unheard by others.
Pro Tip 2/3Stage Solitude
When delivering a soliloquy, the character is usually alone on stage, creating an intimate atmosphere with the audience.
She stood solo, her soliloquy letting us glimpse her inner turmoil.
Pro Tip 3/3Not a Dialogue
Don't confuse a soliloquy with dialogue; it's a solo speech without interaction from other characters.
At the play's climax, his soliloquy was a lone voice in the silence.
Pro Tip 1/3Dramatic Reveals
In plays, soliloquies are often used to reveal characters' secret thoughts or plans that aren't spoken in dialogue.
During his soliloquy, the hero confessed his undying love, unheard by others.
Pro Tip 2/3Stage Solitude
When delivering a soliloquy, the character is usually alone on stage, creating an intimate atmosphere with the audience.
She stood solo, her soliloquy letting us glimpse her inner turmoil.
Pro Tip 3/3Not a Dialogue
Don't confuse a soliloquy with dialogue; it's a solo speech without interaction from other characters.
At the play's climax, his soliloquy was a lone voice in the silence.
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Video examples
Poetry for the Red White...
entitled soliloquy heavy metal soliloquy
Video examples
Poetry for the Red White...
entitled soliloquy heavy metal soliloquy
Example 1 of 1
Quote examples
Christopher Lloyd
American Actor
Hamlet' was the first movie I saw. In 1948, my mother said, 'I'm going to take you to see 'Hamlet' with Laurence Olivier.' She was worried about taking me to it because she wasn't sure I was old enough to understand it or to maybe be adversely affected by it, but I got recordings of it and memorized all the soliloquies.
Quote examples
Renee Elise Goldsberry
American Actress
One hundred percent, all your Shakespeare training serves you in the work in musical theater today: specifically in modern musical theater, our soliloquies, and now what we call rap. It's the reason it's so easy to learn, because it's verse; it's rhyme! It just sticks in the soul very easily.
Quote examples
Marion Cotillard
French Actress
The first time I saw 'Macbeth' was not the entire play. It was at acting school, and this student was working on Lady Macbeth's soliloquy. I felt something very special, and I knew then that I would one day experience Lady Macbeth, but I always thought it would be on stage and in French.
Quote examples
John Sununu
American Politician
The media love coarse debate because coarse debate drives ratings and ratings generate profits. Unless the TV producer happens to be William Shakespeare, an argument is more interesting than a soliloquy - and there will never be a shortage of people willing to argue on TV.
Quote examples
Kurt Sutter
American Director
The trap in Hamlet is he's the most passive of Shakespeare's characters. He's not a Richard III, not out there taking a lot of action. It's a lot of asides and soliloquies where he's wrapped in angst, and that's not a very interesting character.
Quote examples
Ian Doescher
American Writer
In writing 'William Shakespeare's Star Wars,' I had the freedom to go beyond the original script and add asides, soliloquys and even new scenes. The main characters all get a soliloquy or two - or in Luke's case, several.
Quote examples
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Danish Actor
Horrible things happen all our lives; we all experience loss and death and trauma. Usually, most people, I think, we just get on with it. We don't have a whole soliloquy in the middle of something.
Quote examples
Powers Boothe
American Actor
When 'Deadwood' came along, it was totally like Shakespeare. The long speeches were like soliloquies. If one phrase of a monologue was out of whack, the entire one-page speech didn't work.
Quote examples
Trevor Nunn
English Director
I had a feeling about Shakespeare's soliloquies, that there should be a real exchange between the actor and the audience.
Quote examples
Steven Zaillian
American Director
I'm not one of those people who writes long soliloquies.
Quote examples
Christopher Lloyd
American Actor
Hamlet' was the first movie I saw. In 1948, my mother said, 'I'm going to take you to see 'Hamlet' with Laurence Olivier.' She was worried about taking me to it because she wasn't sure I was old enough to understand it or to maybe be adversely affected by it, but I got recordings of it and memorized all the soliloquies.
Quote examples
Renee Elise Goldsberry
American Actress
One hundred percent, all your Shakespeare training serves you in the work in musical theater today: specifically in modern musical theater, our soliloquies, and now what we call rap. It's the reason it's so easy to learn, because it's verse; it's rhyme! It just sticks in the soul very easily.
Quote examples
Marion Cotillard
French Actress
The first time I saw 'Macbeth' was not the entire play. It was at acting school, and this student was working on Lady Macbeth's soliloquy. I felt something very special, and I knew then that I would one day experience Lady Macbeth, but I always thought it would be on stage and in French.
Quote examples
John Sununu
American Politician
The media love coarse debate because coarse debate drives ratings and ratings generate profits. Unless the TV producer happens to be William Shakespeare, an argument is more interesting than a soliloquy - and there will never be a shortage of people willing to argue on TV.
Quote examples
Kurt Sutter
American Director
The trap in Hamlet is he's the most passive of Shakespeare's characters. He's not a Richard III, not out there taking a lot of action. It's a lot of asides and soliloquies where he's wrapped in angst, and that's not a very interesting character.
Quote examples
Ian Doescher
American Writer
In writing 'William Shakespeare's Star Wars,' I had the freedom to go beyond the original script and add asides, soliloquys and even new scenes. The main characters all get a soliloquy or two - or in Luke's case, several.
Quote examples
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Danish Actor
Horrible things happen all our lives; we all experience loss and death and trauma. Usually, most people, I think, we just get on with it. We don't have a whole soliloquy in the middle of something.
Quote examples
Powers Boothe
American Actor
When 'Deadwood' came along, it was totally like Shakespeare. The long speeches were like soliloquies. If one phrase of a monologue was out of whack, the entire one-page speech didn't work.
Quote examples
Trevor Nunn
English Director
I had a feeling about Shakespeare's soliloquies, that there should be a real exchange between the actor and the audience.
Quote examples
Steven Zaillian
American Director
I'm not one of those people who writes long soliloquies.
Example 1 of 10
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