How to Make a Monologue
Study famous monologues., Use monologues at the appropriate time., Learn the difference between a monologue and a soliloquy., Always use monologues to show change in a character., Give your monologue a beginning, middle, and end.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Study famous monologues.
From Hamlet's famous inner turmoils to Quint's harrowing WWII story in Jaws, monologues can be used in drama to add depth to a character.
Monologues give us an arrow into characters' insights and their motivations.
It's less a plot device (though it should always serve to move the plot forward) than a character study that happens out loud.
Get familiar with some of the classic monologues of theatre and film to study the form.
Check out:
The sales speech that opens David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross" Hamlet's monologues The "I could have been a contender" speech in "On the Waterfront" The "I ate the divorce papers" speech from "Goodbye Charles," by Gabriel Davis Masha's "I'm telling you this because you're a writer" speech in Chekhov's "The Seagull" Draped-in-a-flag Bill the Butcher giving the "Honorable man" speech in "Gangs of New York" -
Step 2: Use monologues at the appropriate time.
A play written for the stage or the screen will be a complicated series of dialogs, actions, and silences.
Knowing when to allow a monologue to surface in the plot will take some practice.
You'll want to have most of the plot essentials and the characters figured out before worrying about monologues.
They should emerge organically as the script dictates.
Some monologues are used to introduce characters, while some scripts will use monologues to allow a taciturn character to suddenly speak up and change the way the audience feels about them.
In general, a good time in the script to use a monologue would be at moments of change, when one character needs to reveal something to another character. , For a true monologue, another character must be present to hear the speech.
If not, it's a soliloquy.
The soliloquy is a classical technique not commonly used in contemporary drama, but is still sometimes used in one-person plays and experimental theatre.
Inner monologues or voice over narration are a different category of exposition, more like a dramatic aside to the audience than a monologue.
Monologues need to assume the presence of other characters who hear the action, providing an important interaction that can be the fuel for or the purpose of the monologue. , A good opportunity for a monologue is anytime a character is undergoing a significant change of heart or attitude.
Allowing them to open up and reveal their inner tension is a benefit to the reader and plot.
Even if the character is not changed significantly, perhaps their decision to speak up is a change in and of itself.
A taciturn character driven to a long monologue is revealing, when deployed properly.
Why have they spoken up now? How does this change the way we feel about them? Consider allowing the character to change as they speak over the course of their monologue.
If a character starts in a rage, it might be more interesting for their to end in hysterics, or laughter.
If they start out laughing, maybe they end up contemplative.
Use the monologue as a vessel for change. , If you're going to take the time to put the rest of the story on pause to let one character speak at length, it's safe to say that the writing needs to be structured just like any other piece of writing.
If it's a story, it needs to have an arc.
If it's a rant, it needs to change into something else.
If it's a plea, it needs to up the ante over the course of its pleading.
The beginning of a good monologue will hook the audience and the other characters.
The beginning should signal that something important is happening.
Like any good dialogue, it shouldn't sputter or waste space with "Hellos" and "How are yous." Cut to the chase.
In the middle, the monologue should climax.
Build it to its maximum height and then bring it back down to lower the tension and allow the conversation between the characters to continue or end entirely.
This is where the specific details, the drama, and the tangents in the monologue will occur.
The ending should bring the speech or the story back around to the play at hand.
After dwelling on his failures and fatigue, Randy the Ram's heartbreaking speech to his daughter in "The Wrestler" ends, "I just don't want you to hate me, ok?" The tension of the monologue is relieved and the scene ends on that note of finality. -
Step 3: Learn the difference between a monologue and a soliloquy.
-
Step 4: Always use monologues to show change in a character.
-
Step 5: Give your monologue a beginning
-
Step 6: middle
-
Step 7: and end.
Detailed Guide
From Hamlet's famous inner turmoils to Quint's harrowing WWII story in Jaws, monologues can be used in drama to add depth to a character.
Monologues give us an arrow into characters' insights and their motivations.
It's less a plot device (though it should always serve to move the plot forward) than a character study that happens out loud.
Get familiar with some of the classic monologues of theatre and film to study the form.
Check out:
The sales speech that opens David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross" Hamlet's monologues The "I could have been a contender" speech in "On the Waterfront" The "I ate the divorce papers" speech from "Goodbye Charles," by Gabriel Davis Masha's "I'm telling you this because you're a writer" speech in Chekhov's "The Seagull" Draped-in-a-flag Bill the Butcher giving the "Honorable man" speech in "Gangs of New York"
A play written for the stage or the screen will be a complicated series of dialogs, actions, and silences.
Knowing when to allow a monologue to surface in the plot will take some practice.
You'll want to have most of the plot essentials and the characters figured out before worrying about monologues.
They should emerge organically as the script dictates.
Some monologues are used to introduce characters, while some scripts will use monologues to allow a taciturn character to suddenly speak up and change the way the audience feels about them.
In general, a good time in the script to use a monologue would be at moments of change, when one character needs to reveal something to another character. , For a true monologue, another character must be present to hear the speech.
If not, it's a soliloquy.
The soliloquy is a classical technique not commonly used in contemporary drama, but is still sometimes used in one-person plays and experimental theatre.
Inner monologues or voice over narration are a different category of exposition, more like a dramatic aside to the audience than a monologue.
Monologues need to assume the presence of other characters who hear the action, providing an important interaction that can be the fuel for or the purpose of the monologue. , A good opportunity for a monologue is anytime a character is undergoing a significant change of heart or attitude.
Allowing them to open up and reveal their inner tension is a benefit to the reader and plot.
Even if the character is not changed significantly, perhaps their decision to speak up is a change in and of itself.
A taciturn character driven to a long monologue is revealing, when deployed properly.
Why have they spoken up now? How does this change the way we feel about them? Consider allowing the character to change as they speak over the course of their monologue.
If a character starts in a rage, it might be more interesting for their to end in hysterics, or laughter.
If they start out laughing, maybe they end up contemplative.
Use the monologue as a vessel for change. , If you're going to take the time to put the rest of the story on pause to let one character speak at length, it's safe to say that the writing needs to be structured just like any other piece of writing.
If it's a story, it needs to have an arc.
If it's a rant, it needs to change into something else.
If it's a plea, it needs to up the ante over the course of its pleading.
The beginning of a good monologue will hook the audience and the other characters.
The beginning should signal that something important is happening.
Like any good dialogue, it shouldn't sputter or waste space with "Hellos" and "How are yous." Cut to the chase.
In the middle, the monologue should climax.
Build it to its maximum height and then bring it back down to lower the tension and allow the conversation between the characters to continue or end entirely.
This is where the specific details, the drama, and the tangents in the monologue will occur.
The ending should bring the speech or the story back around to the play at hand.
After dwelling on his failures and fatigue, Randy the Ram's heartbreaking speech to his daughter in "The Wrestler" ends, "I just don't want you to hate me, ok?" The tension of the monologue is relieved and the scene ends on that note of finality.
About the Author
Ashley Martinez
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in pet care and beyond.
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