What is a soliloquy ?

What is a soliloquy

Soliloquy (so·lil·o·quy) should be pronounced “sə-‘li-lə-kwē" is a noun. The plural form is: plural so·lil·o·quies. The word is derived from Late Latin “soliloquium” which comes from Latin “solus” meaning “alone” and “loqui” – “to speak”. The word originated in the first decades of the 17^th century presumably round 1613. Shortly speaking, the word “soliloquy” means speaking to oneself as well as a literary or dramatic piece performed in this manner. Soliloquy is a type of literary or dramatic discourse (monologue) representing a number of unspoken thoughts. The verb is “to soliloquize” and would mean an act of speaking to himself or herself without an address to auditory. When soliloquizing the person immerses in his (or her) feelings and emotions and speaks to oneself reflecting on it. The cited soliloquy would likely be referring to a particular character in the play, or an event. The soliloquist would normally remain alone on the stage – and this may be the key feature differing it from the monologue.

This dramatic method was frequently used in poetic dramas of the 1500s – 1600s. It was a favored and an extensively used manner of William Shakespeare. An example to it would be the plays: Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and of course Hamlet. By doing so Shakespeare managed to keenly reveal the true characters in his dramas. As a vivid example let’s recall Hamlet’s monologue “To be or not to be…”. In this case the notion monologue is interchangeable with soliloquy as Hamlet remains alone in the episode. Among other prominent writers, and playwrights who used to implement this creative approach are: Pierre Corneille, Jean Racine, Tennessee Williams, and others. It is noteworthy that every writer pursued his own specific creative goals by means of soliloquies. The goal could be either to reach extraordinary lyricism, add a dramatic touch, or a psychological effect. However in British theatrical and literary world of the Restoration era (dating back to late 17^th century) the method of soliloquy was not in favor. It was likewise regarded as “non-natural” in the 1800s, however there were exceptions who would approve of it, among them: Arthur Miller, John Guare, Brian Friel, and others. In the 21^st century along with a total acceptance of creative diversity, soliloquy as a dramatic convention has been accepted with a new interest and understanding which interpreted the act of speaking to oneself as a means to confide, reveal the essence of one’s psycho. Now that the cultures have gone a long way in psycho and documentary filmmaking soliloquy no longer seems artificial or deterring aesthetical feeling.

It is clear that soliloquy radically differs from the dialogue. However it should not be confused with a monologue. As we said above the important aspect of reciting to be considered a soliloquy is that the actor would be alone on the stage, in this case monologue would be similar to soliloquy.

In order to avoid further confusion between monologue, aside and soliloquy, let’s in a few words review the other two. Monologue stands for the character’s speaking his (or her) thoughts to the audience or addressing another person. It is usually of a speech style. This method is extensively used in plays, animation, films, etc. Aside stands for the character’s speaking his (or her) thoughts to the audience given other characters would not hear him. It may normally is of a comment style. An example would be the following part in Macbeth, “Time, thou anticipatest my dread exploits…”