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Quick answer: A soliloquy is a speech where a character, alone on stage or believing they are, thinks out loud. So the audience hears what the character would never say to anyone else. It’s a type of monologue, and the best-known example is Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be.”
The word comes from the Latin soliloquium, from solus (alone) and loqui (to speak). Put together, it means talking to yourself. Credit for the term goes to Saint Augustine, who titled one of his books Soliloquies. In theater, a soliloquy is the speech a character gives in isolation from the others. It’s as if they were speaking only to themselves.
For actors, a soliloquy is prime material. It makes you carry a scene with no partner. You also have to show how the character thinks while making a decision. That’s why so many audition monologues are actually soliloquies.
Characteristics of a soliloquy
- The character is alone on stage, or believes they are, although sometimes someone is listening in secret.
- They speak to themselves, in the first person, and nobody answers.
- Since they believe no one is listening, they reveal what they really think and feel. The mask they wear in front of others comes off.
- It usually comes at a moment of doubt or decision, when the character argues with themselves.
- It also gives the audience information the other characters don’t have.
Soliloquy vs monologue vs aside
All three are speeches by a single character, so people mix them up all the time. The real difference is who is listening.
| Device | Is the character alone? | Who they speak to | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soliloquy | Yes, or they believe so | Themselves | Can be long |
| Monologue | Others may be present | Another character who doesn’t answer, the audience, or themselves | Long |
| Aside | Other characters are on stage | The audience or themselves, and the others are assumed not to hear | A line or two |
Put simply, every soliloquy is a monologue, but not every monologue is a soliloquy. Mark Antony’s “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears,” in Julius Caesar, is a good example. It’s a monologue but not a soliloquy, because he is addressing a crowd. Our entry on what a monologue is also covers its types, with examples of each.
Famous soliloquy examples
These are some of the best-known soliloquies in theater. You study them in school and then work on them in acting class.
“To be, or not to be,” Hamlet
Act 3 of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet finds the prince believing he is alone. He asks whether it’s nobler to endure life’s blows or to end everything. It’s one of the most quoted passages in theater, and also the example almost every definition of soliloquy uses:
To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them.
Macbeth’s dagger
In Act 2 of Macbeth, just before he kills King Duncan, Macbeth is alone. Then he sees a dagger floating in the air that seems to lead him toward the king’s room. “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?” The soliloquy shows his guilt before the crime, something no other character could tell the audience.
Juliet on the balcony
In Act 2 of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet steps onto her balcony. Believing she is alone, she says what she feels for Romeo: “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” Here “wherefore” means “why,” not “where.” In other words, she’s asking why he has to be a Montague, the family her own is at war with. Meanwhile, he is hiding in the garden and hears everything. That’s why the scene works, since the audience knows something she doesn’t yet.
Segismundo, in Life Is a Dream
In Spanish theater, the great soliloquies belong to Segismundo. You’ll find him in Life Is a Dream (La vida es sueño, 1635) by Pedro Calderón de la Barca. Locked in a tower since birth, he asks what crime he committed by being born. Then, at the end of the second act, he is unsure whether what he lived was real. So he closes with lines every Spanish speaker knows: “¿Qué es la vida? Un frenesí. ¿Qué es la vida? Una ilusión, una sombra, una ficción”, which roughly means “What is life? A frenzy. What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a fiction.”
In film and TV, however, voice-over usually takes the soliloquy’s place. We hear what the character thinks without their lips moving.
What is a soliloquy for?
In a play, a soliloquy does three jobs. First, it shows the inner conflict, because the character argues with themselves before deciding. It also gives the audience information, such as plans, secrets or feelings the other characters don’t know about. And it creates complicity, since the audience ends up knowing more than the rest of the characters.
How to perform a soliloquy
The risk with a soliloquy is reciting it, saying beautiful words while nothing happens. Five habits help you avoid that.
- Think, don’t recite. The character discovers what they think as they say it, so every idea has to arise in the moment.
- Find who they’re arguing with. Almost every soliloquy has two voices, the one that wants to act and the one that doubts. Then mark where each one wins.
- Pin down the turns. Find the exact moment the character decides, discovers or gives up, because that’s the heart of the scene.
- Choose where to look. You can speak to the audience, as if they were your conscience, or think toward a fixed point. At an audition, ask what the director prefers. When recording, look just off the lens rather than into the camera, as how to record a self-tape explains.
- Mind the rhythm. Pauses are part of the thinking, so give them time without letting the tension drop.
If an audition asks for a monologue, a classical soliloquy works. However, casting directors hear the most famous ones so often that it’s hard to stand out with them. Our guide to monologues for auditions has six short originals to practice. Once you have one ready, check the open theater casting calls.
Tip: Before you rehearse a soliloquy, write down in one line what your character decides by the end. If you can’t sum it up yet, reread the scene until you find that turn. It’s what the director will be watching for.
Frequently asked questions
What does soliloquy mean?
It means talking to yourself. The word comes from the Latin soliloquium (from solus, alone, and loqui, to speak). In theater, it’s the speech of a character who is alone, or believes they are, and thinks out loud.
How do you pronounce soliloquy?
suh-LIL-uh-kwee, with the stress on the second syllable. The plural is soliloquies.
What is the difference between a soliloquy and a monologue?
In a soliloquy, the character is alone and talks to themselves. In a monologue, however, they can address the audience or other characters who listen without answering. Every soliloquy is a monologue, but not every monologue is a soliloquy.
What is an aside in drama?
It’s a short line a character says to the audience or to themselves in the middle of a scene. By convention, the other characters don’t hear it. Unlike a soliloquy, though, the character isn’t alone.
What is the most famous soliloquy?
The most quoted is Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be,” by William Shakespeare. Macbeth’s dagger speech and Juliet’s balcony speech are close behind. In Spanish, the best known are Segismundo’s speeches in Life Is a Dream.
Can I use a soliloquy at an audition?
Yes, and it’s often a good choice, because it shows how you think through a text without a partner. Pick one that fits your age and type, runs 1 to 2 minutes, and isn’t overdone. If the terms get mixed up, see the difference between casting and an audition.
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