An examination of the etymology of the word
monologue reveals that it is a speech by one person [Greek:
monologos speaking
alone].
Shakespeare makes use of the monologue to
entertain in a departure from the seriousness of action and often as a pivotal point of
development of character, motifs, and plot. For example, Mercutio's rambling monologue
in Romeo and Juliet explicates some of the plot of this tragedy as
it provides a view that moves toward deflating the grand action of Romeo and Juliet's
romantic promises to one another by reminding the audience of a more somber view of
humanity since dreams are the "children of an idle mind." It also illustrates the motif
of inconstancy as Mercutio rambles from one idea to another and Romeo accuses him of
"speak[ing] of nothing."
As another example, in As You Like
It, the famous monologue of Jacques on the stages of man reveals, of course,
his cynicism. But, it also has such imaginative power that it transcends the action of
the play.
- dramatic
monologue
In contrast to the monologue, a
dramatic monologue is a poem in which an imaginary character speaks to a silent
listener. This poem is in the form of a speech or narrative in which the speaker
unconsciously reveals certain aspects of his or her character during the description of
a situation or certain events. By drawing conclusions based upon the speaker's words,
the reader can piece together the poem's setting, the circumstances that prompt the
character to speak, and the motives of the speaker, as well as his
actions.
One famous example of a dramatic monologue is "My Last Duchess" by
Robert Browning. In this poem, the reader can detect several traits of the Duke of
Ferrara, among them the superciliousness of the Duke, his displeasure with his "last
duchess" and retributive jealousy against her, as well as his excessive pride in
displaying his portrait by Fra Pandolf, and the painting and the sea horse cast in
bronze by Claus of Innsbruck.
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