Shakespeare Monologues: 10 Speeches to Read Without Fear

Read the audition notice before you choose

Shakespeare monologues are accepted at many classical auditions, drama school entrance auditions and theater company calls. They are not accepted everywhere. Some notices ask for a contemporary piece, a specific play or period, or two contrasting speeches. Read the notice twice before you choose. If it names no rules, a speech of one to two minutes from a character near your age is a safe place to start. You can browse current theater castings to see what companies ask for.

Cutting is normal. Take out lines that other characters speak or that slow you down, but keep the thought complete. For more on choosing and trimming, see our guide to monologues for auditions. If you will record at home, read how to record a self-tape first, and keep our audition tips nearby.

Several speeches below are soliloquies, where a character thinks aloud alone. Our entry on what a soliloquy is explains how to share those thoughts with the audience, and what a monologue is covers the basics. If you want a class to practice in, start with how to choose acting classes.

Six Shakespeare monologues from the comedies

Viola in Twelfth Night: “I left no ring with her”

Viola, ages 18 to 25 · comic and tender · about 1 minute. Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 2. Alone after a messenger leaves, Viola, who is disguised as a young man, works out that a countess has fallen for her disguise.

I left no ring with her; what means this lady?
Fortune forbid my outside have not charm’d her!
She made good view of me, indeed, so much,
That methought her eyes had lost her tongue,
For she did speak in starts distractedly.
She loves me, sure, the cunning of her passion
Invites me in this churlish messenger.
None of my lord’s ring? Why, he sent her none.
I am the man; if it be so, as ’tis,
Poor lady, she were better love a dream.
Disguise, I see thou art a wickedness
Wherein the pregnant enemy does much.
How easy is it for the proper false
In women’s waxen hearts to set their forms!
Alas, our frailty is the cause, not we,
For such as we are made of, such we be.

How will this fadge? My master loves her dearly,
And I, poor monster, fond as much on him,
And she, mistaken, seems to dote on me.
What will become of this? As I am man,
My state is desperate for my master’s love;
As I am woman (now alas the day!)
What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe!
O time, thou must untangle this, not I,
It is too hard a knot for me t’untie!

Play it as a puzzle she solves out loud, one clue per beat. On the verse: the thoughts run across line ends, so breathe at the full stops, not at the end of each line. The key words are “man” in “I am the man” and “knot” at the end. The closing couplet rhymes “I” with “untie”; let the rhyme land lightly, like a shrug.

Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “How happy some o’er other some can be!”

Helena, ages 18 to 28 · comic and bittersweet · about 1 minute 15 seconds. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 1, Scene 1. Left alone after her friend Hermia reveals a plan to elope, Helena muses on love, then decides to tell the man she loves about it.

How happy some o’er other some can be!
Through Athens I am thought as fair as she.
But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so;
He will not know what all but he do know.
And as he errs, doting on Hermia’s eyes,
So I, admiring of his qualities.
Things base and vile, holding no quantity,
Love can transpose to form and dignity.
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;
And therefore is wing’d Cupid painted blind.
Nor hath love’s mind of any judgment taste.
Wings, and no eyes, figure unheedy haste.
And therefore is love said to be a child,
Because in choice he is so oft beguil’d.
As waggish boys in game themselves forswear,
So the boy Love is perjur’d everywhere.
For, ere Demetrius look’d on Hermia’s eyne,
He hail’d down oaths that he was only mine;
And when this hail some heat from Hermia felt,
So he dissolv’d, and showers of oaths did melt.

I will go tell him of fair Hermia’s flight.
Then to the wood will he tomorrow night
Pursue her; and for this intelligence
If I have thanks, it is a dear expense.
But herein mean I to enrich my pain,
To have his sight thither and back again.

Start sad and let her get cleverer as she goes, because she is arguing with herself. On the verse: the speech is mostly rhymed couplets, and each rhyme closes a small idea, such as “mind” and “blind”. Stress the rhyme words and the logic is clear. Change gears at “I will go tell him”: she has made a plan, so pick up the pace.

Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing: “I do much wonder that one man”

Benedick, ages 25 to 45 · comic · about 2 minutes. Much Ado About Nothing, Act 2, Scene 3. A proud bachelor tells us he will never fall in love, until he spots his friends coming and ducks into the garden to hide.

I do much wonder that one man, seeing how much another man is a fool when

he dedicates his behaviours to love, will, after he hath laughed at such

shallow follies in others, become the argument of his own scorn by falling

in love: and such a man is Claudio. I have known, when there was no music

with him but the drum and the fife; and now had he rather hear the tabor

and the pipe: I have known when he would have walked ten mile afoot to see

a good armour; and now will he lie ten nights awake, carving the fashion

of a new doublet. He was wont to speak plain and to the purpose, like an

honest man and a soldier; and now is he turned orthography; his words are

a very fantastical banquet, just so many strange dishes. May I be so

converted, and see with these eyes? I cannot tell; I think not: I will not

be sworn but love may transform me to an oyster; but I’ll take my

oath on it, till he have made an oyster of me, he shall never make me such

a fool. One woman is fair, yet I am well; another is wise, yet I am well;

another virtuous, yet I am well; but till all graces be in one woman, one

woman shall not come in my grace. Rich she shall be, that’s certain;

wise, or I’ll none; virtuous, or I’ll never cheapen her; fair,

or I’ll never look on her; mild, or come not near me; noble, or not

I for an angel; of good discourse, an excellent musician, and her hair

shall be of what colour it please God. Ha! the Prince and Monsieur Love! I

will hide me in the arbour.

He is sure he is right and the audience knows he is wrong, so play his certainty at full strength. Tick off his list of requirements as a game that grows more absurd. On the verse: this speech is prose, so there is no line beat to follow. Breathe at the semicolons and save your energy for the turn at “Ha! the Prince and Monsieur Love!”

Phebe in As You Like It: “Think not I love him”

Phebe, ages 16 to 25 · comic · about 1 minute 30 seconds. As You Like It, Act 3, Scene 5. A shepherdess tells her devoted admirer that she does not care about a young stranger, while listing everything she noticed about him.

Think not I love him, though I ask for him.
’Tis but a peevish boy, yet he talks well.
But what care I for words? Yet words do well
When he that speaks them pleases those that hear.
It is a pretty youth, not very pretty,
But sure he’s proud, and yet his pride becomes him.
He’ll make a proper man. The best thing in him
Is his complexion; and faster than his tongue
Did make offence, his eye did heal it up.
He is not very tall, yet for his years he’s tall;
His leg is but so-so, and yet ’tis well.

There was a pretty redness in his lip,
A little riper and more lusty red
Than that mixed in his cheek. ’Twas just the difference
Betwixt the constant red and mingled damask.
There be some women, Silvius, had they marked him
In parcels as I did, would have gone near
To fall in love with him; but for my part
I love him not nor hate him not; and yet
I have more cause to hate him than to love him.
For what had he to do to chide at me?
He said mine eyes were black and my hair black,
And now I am remembered, scorned at me.
I marvel why I answered not again.

The contradictions are the joke. Each time she says something harsh, a kinder detail slips out right behind it, and she hears herself do it. On the verse: many lines hold two ideas, as in “a pretty youth, not very pretty”, so let your voice catch at the comma. Talk to Silvius, but let the audience see she is fooling herself.

Portia in The Merchant of Venice: “The quality of mercy is not strain’d”

Portia, ages 20 to 35 · serious and persuasive · about 1 minute 15 seconds. The Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1. Disguised as a lawyer in a Venetian court, Portia pleads with a man who holds all the power to show mercy.

The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest,
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
’Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown.
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;

But mercy is above this sceptred sway,
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That in the course of justice none of us
Should see salvation. We do pray for mercy,
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea,
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence ’gainst the merchant there.

She is not lecturing. She is trying to open someone up, so look for the moment he softens. On the verse: the argument climbs in steps, with mercy moving from rain to kings to God. Stress “mercy” each time it returns, and take a half breath before “Therefore”, where the speech turns into a direct plea. For a shorter cut, stop at “When mercy seasons justice.” The speech still stands on its own. It also leaves out the direct address to Shylock, whose portrayal many audiences today find troubling.

Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “If we shadows have offended”

Puck, ages 16 and up · playful · about 45 seconds. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 5, Scene 1. When the play ends, Puck steps forward and speaks to the audience in rhyme.

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber’d here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend.
If you pardon, we will mend.
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearnèd luck
Now to ’scape the serpent’s tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call.
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

Speak to the audience as friends at the end of a good night, not as a recital. On the verse: the lines are short and the rhymes come in quick pairs, so keep the pace light and bouncy. Slow down only for the last couplet, and treat “Give me your hands” as a real invitation to applaud.

Four Shakespeare monologues from the tragedies

Marc Antony in Julius Caesar: “O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth”

Marc Antony, ages 30 to 45 · grief turning to fury · about 1 minute. Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1. Alone with the body of Caesar, Antony drops the mask of the gentle friend and swears that Rome will pay.

O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these butchers.
Thou art the ruins of the noblest man
That ever lived in the tide of times.
Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!
Over thy wounds now do I prophesy,
Which, like dumb mouths do ope their ruby lips
To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue,

A curse shall light upon the limbs of men;
Domestic fury and fierce civil strife
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy;
Blood and destruction shall be so in use,
And dreadful objects so familiar,
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quartered with the hands of war;
All pity chok’d with custom of fell deeds:
And Caesar’s spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from Hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice
Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war,
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.

Begin tender, with the body in front of you, and let anger grow only when you reach the curse. On the verse: the famous “Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war” sits inside a long run-on sentence, so do not drop your pitch before it. Take a breath at “And Caesar’s spirit” and let the last line sink low, almost quiet.

Lady Macbeth in Macbeth: “The raven himself is hoarse”

Lady Macbeth, ages 25 to 45 · dark and intense · about 1 minute. Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 5. Alone in her castle, she calls on the darkness to give her the nerve to carry out a plan to murder the king.

The raven himself is hoarse
That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan
Under my battlements. Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full
Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood,
Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
Th’ effect and it! Come to my woman’s breasts,
And take my milk for gall, your murd’ring ministers,
Wherever in your sightless substances
You wait on nature’s mischief! Come, thick night,
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark
To cry, “Hold, hold!”

Treat it as a summoning, not a rant. Start quietly, once the messenger has gone. On the verse: “unsex me here” is a heavy beat, and the repeated “Come” gives you a staircase to climb. Keep the voice contained until the last line, then let “Hold, hold!” come out as a whispered fear that the sky will stop her.

Juliet in Romeo and Juliet: “Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds”

Juliet, ages 16 to 25 · joyful and impatient · about 1 minute 30 seconds. Romeo and Juliet, Act 3, Scene 2. Newly married in secret, Juliet waits alone for night to fall so that Romeo can come to her.

Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds,
Towards Phoebus’ lodging. Such a waggoner
As Phaeton would whip you to the west
And bring in cloudy night immediately.
Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night,
That runaway’s eyes may wink, and Romeo
Leap to these arms, untalk’d of and unseen.
Lovers can see to do their amorous rites
By their own beauties: or, if love be blind,
It best agrees with night. Come, civil night,
Thou sober-suited matron, all in black,
And learn me how to lose a winning match,
Play’d for a pair of stainless maidenhoods.
Hood my unmann’d blood, bating in my cheeks,
With thy black mantle, till strange love, grow bold,
Think true love acted simple modesty.

Come, night, come Romeo; come, thou day in night;
For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night
Whiter than new snow upon a raven’s back.
Come gentle night, come loving black-brow’d night,
Give me my Romeo, and when I shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night,
And pay no worship to the garish sun.

O, I have bought the mansion of a love,
But not possess’d it; and though I am sold,
Not yet enjoy’d. So tedious is this day
As is the night before some festival
To an impatient child that hath new robes
And may not wear them. O, here comes my Nurse,
And she brings news, and every tongue that speaks
But Romeo’s name speaks heavenly eloquence.

Ask the night for a favor, and change how you ask each time: a command, a tease, a plea. On the verse: the sentences are long and run across many lines, so do not pause at every line break. The image of the child with new clothes she cannot wear yet is a gift, so make it small and true, and let the Nurse’s entrance cut off your smile.

Edmund in King Lear: “Thou, Nature, art my goddess”

Edmund, ages 20 to 35 · sly and defiant · about 1 minute. King Lear, Act 1, Scene 2. Holding a forged letter, Edmund tells us why he will cheat his legitimate older brother out of his land.

Thou, Nature, art my goddess; to thy law
My services are bound. Wherefore should I
Stand in the plague of custom, and permit
The curiosity of nations to deprive me?
For that I am some twelve or fourteen moonshines
Lag of a brother? Why bastard? Wherefore base?
When my dimensions are as well compact,
My mind as generous, and my shape as true
As honest madam’s issue? Why brand they us
With base? With baseness? bastardy? Base, base?
Who, in the lusty stealth of nature, take
More composition and fierce quality
Than doth within a dull stale tired bed
Go to the creating a whole tribe of fops
Got ’tween asleep and wake? Well then,

Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land:
Our father’s love is to the bastard Edmund
As to the legitimate: fine word: legitimate!
Well, my legitimate, if this letter speed,
And my invention thrive, Edmund the base
Shall top the legitimate. I grow, I prosper.
Now, gods, stand up for bastards!

Speak to us like partners in a plot. He is charming, not snarling, and believes he is right. On the verse: the angry questions, such as “Why bastard? Wherefore base?”, are real ones, so pause after each and wait for an answer that never comes. The last line is short and bold; hold its final word for a beat.

Which of these Shakespeare monologues should you choose?

• For a first Shakespeare audition, try Phebe, Puck or Viola. They are short and each has a clear goal.
• For women: Viola, Helena, Phebe, Portia, Juliet and Lady Macbeth. For men: Benedick, Marc Antony, Edmund and Puck. Many companies cast without regard to gender, so choose the character who excites you.
• For a contrast pair, match one comedy with one tragedy, such as Helena with Lady Macbeth, or Puck with Edmund.

Where the text of these Shakespeare monologues comes from

The text of these Shakespeare monologues comes from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare on Project Gutenberg, a public domain edition, and we checked each speech against it. Act and scene numbers follow that edition. We swapped the dashes in Phebe’s speech for commas to match our style, and Gutenberg spells her name Phoebe. Other editions differ in spelling and punctuation, so use the text your audition asks for.

You can use these monologues for auditions, classes and showcases. Please credit castingandacting.com.

More monologues

Looking for original pieces written for actors? These pages are part of the same library.

• The full monologue library, with a guide to every page
• Comedic monologues and dramatic monologues
• Monologues for women and monologues for men
• Monologues for teens
• Six short original monologues for auditions