dramatic monologue in essay

dramatic monologue

What is a dramatic monologue definition, usage, and literary examples, dramatic monologue definition.

Dramatic monologue  (druh-MAT-ik MON-uh-log) is a literary form where the writer takes on the voice of a character and speaks through them. Although dramatic monologues also occur in  theater  and  prose , the term most frequently refers to a  poetic  form where the poet creates a character who speaks without interruption. Within the poem’s framework, the speaker reveals surprising information about their character or situation to an implied or explicit audience, often not intended to be the reader.

A dramatic monologue is also called a persona  poem , and the character speaking in the poem is referred to as a “persona.” The narrator of a persona poem or dramatic monologue is most frequently a person, but dramatic monologues can also be told by animals, objects, places, or abstract concepts (such as love or destiny).

Poets who write dramatic monologues or persona poems are occasionally referred to as monologists.

History of the Dramatic Monologue

While elements of the dramatic monologues can be seen in the theater of ancient Greece, as well as the work of  Romantic  poets like William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the form as it is understood today was invented in the  Victorian era . Robert Browning, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Christina Rossetti were early pioneers. In their dramatic monologues, a fictional character speaks without interruption to an audience, revealing important information about their personality, situation, actions, or emotional state.

The form remained popular in the 20th century. In the  Modernist era , T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound wrote persona poems, including Eliot’s famous “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and Pound’s  Personae , a collection of short poems written in the voice of different characters or “masks.” In the 1950s and 1960s, despite the prevailing trend of  confessionalism  in poetry, Gwendolyn Brooks, John Berryman, and Sylvia Plath all made notable contributions by writing dramatic monologues that grappled with subjects like the African American urban experience, mental illness, addiction, and suicidal ideation.

While, for the most part, the dramatic monologue was written in the voice of a fictional character, the form sometimes makes use of a character who is already well-known so the poet can explore larger themes. Since the latter half of the 20th century, the form has taken on a political dimension as poets began writing dramatic monologues in the voices of misunderstood historical figures (as in Robert Hayden’s “A Letter from Phillis Wheatley, London, 1773”) or reclaimed racial stock figures (Cornelius Eady’s  Brutal Imagination ).

Types of Dramatic Monologues

Dramatic monologues fall into three main categories.

• Romantic monologues are poems where a character speaks about a romantic relationship, either past, current, or desired.  “Dilemma”  by Anthony Hecht is an example of a romantic monologue.
• Conversational monologues are poems where the dramatic monologue is presented by the speaker as if it is part of a conversation. Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s  “The Eolian Harp”  is one example.
• Philosophical monologues are poems where the character explicates their personal philosophy or theories about the world.  “Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Alley”  by William Wordsworth is one example of a philosophical monologue.

Why Writers Use Dramatic Monologues

Poets use dramatic monologues because it allows them to write about situations and subject matter that is not taken from their own lives. Readers often assume other writers, like novelists or playwrights, create characters wildly different than the writers themselves. But with poetry, readers tend to believe poems are about the writer’s personal experience. Writing dramatic monologues give poets the same artistic freedom and permission to create outside  narratives , characters, and situations that writers in other genres take for granted.

The form is also a powerful way to create narrative tension as the speaker reveals crucial information to the reader in a way that allows the reader to feel as if they are there.

Dramatic Monologues in Other Genres

While the term  dramatic monologue  primarily refers to  poetry , dramatic monologues also occur in fiction and  theater . They contain the same elements of the dramatic monologue poem:

• A character speaks in an uninterrupted flow
• The audience may be either present or absent
• The speaker reveals something about his or her character or situation through the monologue

Unlike a dramatic monologue poem, the form in theater and fiction is not self-contained. These dramatic monologues occur in the context of a longer narrative where multiple characters interact and speak. While these dramatic monologues can be viewed as excerpts of larger works, they cannot truly stand alone.

Notable Dramatic Monologue Poets

Though they may not have exclusively written dramatic monologues, the following poets have made notable contributions to the form:

• John Berryman,  “Dream Song 14”
• Frank Bidart,  “Ellen West”
• Gwendolyn Brooks,  “A Sunset of the City”
• Robert Browning,  “Porphyria’s Lover”
• Cornelius Eady,  “The Cab Driver Who Ripped Me Off”
• T. S. Eliot,  “Portrait of a Lady”
• Louise Erdrich, “The Butcher’s Wife”
• Louise Gluck,  “Daisies”
• Robert Hayden,  “Night, Death, Mississippi”
• Dante Gabriel Rossetti,  “A Last Confession”
• Christina Rossetti,  “The Convent Threshold”
• Sylvia Plath,  “The Applicant”
• Ezra Pound,  “The River Merchant’s Wife: A Letter”
• Alfred Lord Tennyson,  “Ulysses”

Examples of Dramatic Monologue in Literature

1. Robert Browning,  “My Last Duchess”

Browning’s famous  poem  “My Last Duchess” was one of the first dramatic monologues of the Victorian era. The poem’s speaker is presumed to be Alfonso II d’Este, the fifth Duke of Ferrara. Set during the  Italian Renaissance , the Duke is giving a tour of his art collection to an emissary from his prospective bride’s family. As part of this tour, the Duke shows a painting of his late wife and retells the story of their marriage.

In this excerpt, the reader becomes aware that the Duke was enraged by his late wife’s friendliness and wanted to make sure she smiled only for him:

[…] Oh, sir, she smiled, no doubt,

Whene’er I passed her; but who passed without

Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;

Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands

As if alive.”

At this moment, readers realize that the Duke’s commands led to his wife’s death. Either he directed someone to kill her, or by commanding her to stop smiling, he in some way contributed to her eventual death. Browning himself suggested that the Duke simply sent his first wife away.

2. T. S. Eliot, “ The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock ”

Eliot began writing his famous dramatic monologue in his early 20s. The titular character narrates the poem; Prufrock is an older man confronting his increasing age, evaluating his unrequited romantic and carnal opportunities, and a life he believes was wasted. Prufrock admits:

No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;

am an attendant lord, one that will do

To swell a progress, start a scene or two,

Advise the prince; no doubt an easy tool,

Deferential, glad to be of use

In this moment, Prufrock acknowledges he is not the hero of his life. Instead, he is a minor figure on the world stage—useful to other, more important people but not the star of the show.

3. Gwendolyn Brooks, “ We Real Cool ”

In her well-known poem, Brooks takes on the collective voice of seven young pool players at The Golden Shovel pool parlor. The short poem reads as follows:

THE POOL PLAYERS.

SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL

We real cool. We

Left school. We

Lurk late. We

Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We

Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We

In this brief dramatic monologue, the characters speak in one voice, detailing the fast and dangerous lives they inhabit.

4. Louise Gluck,  “The Wild Iris”

Gluck’s Pulitzer-Prize winning book  The Wild Iris  is written in a series of dramatic monologues from the point of view of different plants, trees, parts of the landscape, and the wind. The titular poem, “The Wild Iris,” presents an iris speaking to humanity. The flower describes its experience as a perennial:

It is terrible to survive

as consciousness

buried in the dark earth.

In this excerpt, the plant is explaining what it feels like to be a bulb buried in the ground every winter, waiting to grow and blossom again each spring.

5. Sylvia Plath,  “Lady Lazarus”

In this poem, Plath presents a speaker describing her numerous attempts at suicide:

Is an art, like everything else.

I do it exceptionally well.

It’s easy enough to do it in a cell.

It’s easy enough to do it and stay put.

It’s the theatrical

Comeback in broad day

To the same place, the same face, the same brute

Amused shout:

‘A miracle!’

That knocks me out.

In this excerpt, Plath’s speaker describes how good she has been at “dying” during her multiple suicide attempts. She points out that her real talent is her ability to return to life, to create a theatrical miraculous resurrection.

Further Resources on Dramatic Monologues

The Academy of American Poets has an excellent article detailing the history of  persona poems  / dramatic monologues.

Billy Mills wrote an excellent article about the Victorian roots of the dramatic monologue for  The Guardian .

Poet Camille Rankine penned a useful essay for  The Poetry Foundation  about the dangers of appropriating the identities of marginalized people in dramatic monologues.

SuperSummary's library of resources and content , such as " A Beginner's Guide to Literary Analysis " and " How to Write a Summary ."

Related Terms

• Persona poem

Dramatic Monologue

Definition of dramatic monologue.

Dramatic monologue means self-conversation, speech, or talks which include an interlocutor presented dramatically. It means a person, who is speaking to himself or someone else speaks to reveal specific intentions of his actions. However, in literature, it is a poetic form or a poem that presents the speech or conversation of a person in a dramatic manner.

Features of a Dramatic Monologue

A dramatic monologue has these common features in them.

• A single person delivering a speech on one aspect of his life
• The audience may or may not be present
• Speaker reveals his temperament and character only through his speech

Types of Dramatic Monologue

There are three major types of dramatic monologues such as:

• Romantic monologue
• Philosophical and psychological monologue
• Conversational monologue

Characteristics/Elements of Dramatic Monologue

Dramatic monologues have distinct features and characteristics of their own to make them eligible to be called a separate genre . It, however, is a literary device that poets can use in their poetry. Its important elements are as given below.

• Implied audience / Interlocutor
• No conversation
• Fictional persona
• Argumentative tone

Tips for Writing Dramatic Monologues

When writing a dramatic monologue, the following points must be kept in mind.

• A dramatic monologue must have a context in a play or drama or poetic piece.
• It must start with a striking hook that should attract the readers.
• It must be a long thought such as a rumination over some past event.
• It must express strong feelings of either love or hate.
• It must have a good storyline and a good ending.

History of Dramatic Monologue

Although some ruminations and expressions of thoughts are founded in Greek plays and Roman literature, they cannot be categorized as dramatic monologues and have some constraints. Victorians, especially Robert Browning is stated to have created this literary genre. For example, ‘ My Last Duchess ’ and ‘ Porphyria’s Lover ’ are his best dramatic monologues. Alfred Tennyson and Dante Rossetti are two famous authors, known as their contemporaries who wrote amazing dramatic monologues in their work. Hence, it could be termed a distinct Victorian genre.

Dramatic Monologue Examples from Literature

My Last Duchess by Robert Browning

“That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall, Looking as if she were alive. I call That piece a wonder, now ; Fra Pandolf’s hands Worked busily a day, and there she stands. Will’t please you sit and look at her? I said “Fra Pandolf” by design , for never read Strangers like you that pictured countenance, The depth and passion of its earnest glance, But to myself they turned (since none puts by The curtain I have drawn for you, but I) And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst, How such a glance came there; so, not the first Are you to turn and ask thus.”

This extract is from the famous monologue of a duke. He tells his audience, possibly the father of his new bride, about his last duchess who could not survive his severity. It is a type of psychological monologue which tells the psychological state of mind of the speaker . Browning has exposed the duke’s cruel state of mind through the poem “My Last Duchess.”

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Eliot

  “Let us go then, you and I, When the evening is spread out against the sky Like a patient etherized upon a table; Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets, The muttering retreats Of restless nights in one- night cheap hotels And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells: Streets that follow like a tedious argument Of insidious intent To lead you to an overwhelming question … Oh, do not ask, “What is it?” Let us go and make our visit.”

This extract is from the poem “ The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock ” by T. S. Eliot, a famous and popular modern poet. He has highlighted the thoughts of a modern young man who is madly in love but still hesitates from expressing it. Therefore, he faces an existential dilemma . The poem highlights his psychological state of mind through this contemporary monologue. This extract highlights this dilemma of hesitation in the very first line and then is repeated in the last line.

  Example #3

Lady Lazarus by Sylvia Plath

  I have done it again. One year in every ten I manage it— A sort of walking miracle, my skin Bright as a Nazi lampshade, My right foot A paperweight, My face a featureless, fine Jew linen.

This extract is from the famous monologue of Sylvia Plath’s “ Lady Lazarus .” It also highlights her psychological state of mind about her act of committing suicide and subsequent failure. She has likened this act to the Holocaust to create her own powerful monologue.

Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold

“The sea is calm tonight. The tide is full, the moon lies fair Upon the straits; on the French coast the light Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand, Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay. Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!”

“ Dover Beach ” is another example of such an autobiographical monologue by Matthew Arnold. He has highlighted his own situation and his reaction to the sorrow that he is experiencing. This monologue expressed his thoughts about his bride when they were on honeymoon on the same breach. He recalls the past and writes about the sea again.

  Hawk’s Monologue by Ted Hughes

  “I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed. Inaction, no falsifying dream Between my hooked head and hooked feet: Or in sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat. The convenience of the high trees ! The air’s buoyancy and the sun’s ray Are of advantage to me; And the earth’s face upward for my inspection.”

These are the first two stanzas of the famous monologue of Ted Hughes. This poem presents a hawk perching high on a tree, thinking about his power and dreams . It presents a psychological state of mind of personified megalomaniac bird and how he thinks when he holds power over the lives of other weak birds. This dramatic monologue is an example of how powerful people think when they have control over others.

Examples of Dramatic Monologue from Movies

• “… What’d you say a minute ago? They had to wait and save their money before they even ought to think of a decent home. Wait? Wait for what? Until their children grow up and leave them? Until they’re so old and broken down that they … Do you know how long it takes a working man to save $5,000? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you’re talking about … they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community . Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn’t think so. People were human beings to him. But to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they’re cattle. Well in my book, my father died a much richer man than you’ll ever be!” – It’s a wonderful life
• Good day, gentlemen. This is a prerecorded briefing made prior to your departure and which for security reasons of the highest importance has been known on board during the mission only by your H-A-L 9000 computer. Now that you are in Jupiter’s space and the entire crew is revived it can be told to you. Eighteen months ago the first evidence of intelligent life off the Earth was discovered. It was buried 40 feet below the lunar surface near the crater Tycho. Except for a single very powerful radio emission aimed at Jupiter the four-million year old black monolith has remained completely inert. Its origin and purpose are still a total mystery . – 2001: A Space Odyssey
• I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible; Jew, Gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness, not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world, there is room for everyone, and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical; our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost. The airplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men; cries out for universal brotherhood; for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women, and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me, I say, do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish. Soldiers! Don’t give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you, enslave you; who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel! Who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men – machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines, you are not cattle, you are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts! You don’t hate! Only the unloved hate; the unloved and the unnatural. Soldiers! Don’t fight for slavery! Fight for liberty! In the seventeenth chapter of St. Luke, it is written that the kingdom of God is within man, not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people, have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure . Then in the name of democracy, let us use that power. Let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfill that promise. They never will! Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people. Now let us fight to fulfill that promise. Let us fight to free the world! To do away with national barriers! To do away with greed, with hate and intolerance! Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness. Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us all unite! Hannah, can you hear me? Wherever you are, look up Hannah! The clouds are lifting! The sun is breaking through! We are coming out of the darkness into the light! We are coming into a new world; a kindlier world, where men will rise above their hate, their greed, and brutality. Look up, Hannah! The soul of man has been given wings and at last he is beginning to fly. He is flying into the rainbow! Into the light of hope, into the future! The glorious future, that belongs to you, to me and to all of us. Look up, Hannah. Look up! – The Great Dictator

Dramatic Monologue Function

A monologue functions as a tool to give vent to one’s thoughts. It provides an opportunity for the poets to use powerful words spoken through their characters. So, the characters can express themselves or their ideas without an obstacle or hindrance. A dramatic monologue is also a convenient device to present different characters and their inner thoughts through verses .

Synonyms of Dramatic Monologue

Although Dramatic Monologue doesn’t have the exact replaceable words, the following synonyms come very close to it in meanings. They are discourse , lecture, harangue , soliloquy , speech, descant, and harangue. It, however, must be kept in mind that almost all of them are literary devices in their own right.

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The Best Examples of the Dramatic Monologue

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

The dramatic monologue is a literary form that really came of age in the 1830s, thanks to Tennyson and Browning most of all. Below, we’ve selected some of the greatest examples of the dramatic monologue: a poem spoken by a character (rather than the poet themselves) in a dramatic situation, whereby that character reveals their personality through their speech.

There are some brilliant examples of dramatic monologues in English and American literature, so we hope you enjoy this pick of some of the best.

1. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, ‘ The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point ’.

Our wounds are different. Your white men Are, after all, not gods indeed, Nor able to make Christs again Do good with bleeding. We who bleed . . .

As well as writing some of the most famous love poetry of the Victorian era, Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-61) also explored and tackled social issues in her poetry.

In this poem, the first example of a dramatic monologue on this list, she writes in the character of a black female slave in the United States, on the run having endured a series of horrors: her lover has been murdered and she has been raped, and the baby that resulted was deemed ‘too white’ because of its mixed ethnicity.

A tragic poem (we won’t give away the ending here though the stanzas below provide a clue), the poem is still a powerful indictment of the treatment of black slaves in nineteenth-century America. The poem was written to raise funds for the abolitionist cause.

2. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, ‘ Ulysses ’.

I cannot rest from travel: I will drink Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy’d Greatly, have suffer’d greatly, both with those That loved me, and alone, on shore, and when Thro’ scudding drifts the rainy Hyades Vext the dim sea: I am become a name …

Writers of dramatic monologues have often turned to mythical characters for their subjects and speakers, and this early Tennyson poem is such an example.

A poem about growing old, but written when Tennyson was a young man in his early twenties, ‘Ulysses’ has been read as a response to the death of Tennyson’s friend Arthur Henry Hallam, who had died suddenly in 1833, in his early twenties. The poem takes the warrior Ulysses (the Roman name for Odysseus) as its focus, and reveals an ageing king who, having returned from the Trojan war, yearns to don his armour again and ride off in search of battle, glory, and adventure (leaving his poor wife Penelope behind, we might add!).

Tennyson uses the dramatic monologue to stirring effect, but the dramatic situation also invites us to question Ulysses’ actions, and especially the impact they will have on his wife and son whom he leaves behind (again). Can Ulysses really sail off again in search of glory, or is he deluding himself?

3. Robert Browning, ‘ Porphyria’s Lover ’.

That moment she was mine, mine, fair, Perfectly pure and good: I found A thing to do, and all her hair In one long yellow string I wound Three times her little throat around, And strangled her. No pain felt she; I am quite sure she felt no pain …

Nobody took the dramatic monologue to such a dark place in the nineteenth century as Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s husband, Robert Browning (1812-89). ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ is spoken by a murderer who strangles his beautiful blonde upper-class lover with her own hair.

It was one of Browning’s first great poems, published in 1836 (as ‘Porphyria’) when the poet was still in his mid-twenties. It was also one of his earliest experiments in the dramatic monologue. Despite the poem’s reputation as one of Browning’s finest dramatic monologues, it – like much of Browning’s early work – was largely ignored during his lifetime.

4. T. S. Eliot, ‘ The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock ’.

Written in around 1910 while Eliot was still in his early twenties, this poem is one of the most famous modernist examples of the dramatic monologue. Eliot is following French Symbolists like Jules Laforgue – who was fond of adopting personae or characters as the speakers of his poems – rather than Victorians like Tennyson and Browning, while the dramatic quality of Prufrock’s speech is drawn from the Elizabethan and Jacobean dramatists Eliot so revered.

Prufrock, a middle-aged balding man who feels uncomfortable attending social gatherings while he ponders some ‘overwhelming question’, makes us laugh but also invites our pity and communal sympathy for his feeling of ‘not fitting in’.

5. H. D., ‘ Eurydice ’.

Many of the greatest examples of dramatic monologues in the twentieth century were written by women. Although this is a dramatic monologue spoken by the wife of Orpheus – the musician from Greek mythology – like many of the poems of Hilda Doolittle or H. D. (1886-1961), the poem clearly had its origins in Doolittle’s own life.

Written during the First World War when H. D. lost her brother and her marriage to Richard Aldington began to fail (their first child was also stillborn in 1915), ‘Eurydice’ is about the myth involving a woman sent to the Underworld.

Orpheus travels to Hades to ask that Eurydice be returned to the land of the living, and Hades grants his wish, on condition that Orpheus doesn’t look back at his wife as they leave the Underworld. Orpheus can’t wait, and looks back at Eurydice before she’s clear of the Underworld, and as a result she is destined to remain in Hades forever.

H. D. saw the feminist potential for such a story, and here gives Eurydice a voice, as she accuses her husband of thwarting her chances at life. ‘Dramatic’ in more ways than one!

6. Elizabeth Bishop, ‘ Crusoe in England ’.

Writers of dramatic monologues haven’t just drawn on myth; sometimes they’ve taken their inspiration from existing literary characters. This dramatic monologue from the twentieth-century American poet Elizabeth Bishop imagines Robinson Crusoe looking back on his life, after he’s been rescued from his island and has returned to England as an older man.

What does Defoe’s character have left, after his life of adventure and toil? The poem is an interesting example of a female poet taking on a male character’s persona and re-examining it: the Crusoe we encounter is altogether more ‘modern’ and introspective than the depiction in Defoe’s novel over two centuries before.

7. Judith Wright, ‘ Eve to Her Daughters ’.

This dramatic monologue sees the Biblical Eve transported to a post-nuclear landscape where man has succeeded in destroying the Edenic paradise of the world as we know it. Wright manages to weave in anti-war sentiments, feminist ideas, and some clever Biblical jokes, as Eve addresses her daughters and maintains, ‘It was not I who began it.’

8. Carol Ann Duffy, ‘ Medusa ’.

What would it be like to have the Gorgon Medusa’s powers, from Greek mythology – to be able to turn things to stone when they merely glance at you? Here we get a ginger cat transformed into a brick, a pig turned into a boulder, and much else – before Perseus, addressed by Medusa in the final stanzas, arrives with his cunning mirror-shield to deliver Medusa’s comeuppance.

This poem is taken from Duffy’s collection The World’s Wife .

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5 thoughts on “The Best Examples of the Dramatic Monologue”

So pleased to see EBB getting her dues. Best wishes to you all.

I’m surprised Browning’s “My Last Duchess” isn’t on the list.

I am grateful for this instalment on Dramatic Monologues. Now I must find The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point by Elizabeth Browning.

My personal favourite is Fra Lippo Lippi.

Wishing Happiness to the folks at Interesting Literature.

Thank you very much! And all the best to you too :)

As I have mentioned before when I was at secondary school Browning was the first poet who ‘clicked’ with me. I found his dramatic monologues ‘modern’ in the sense that you could imagine the characters speaking. Looking back, it seems bizarre that he would appeal to a 15 yr old schoolboy in the early 60s!

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How to Write Dramatic Monologue

Last Updated: August 7, 2024 References

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 397,722 times.

Whether you’re writing a novel, a screenplay, or a stage play, dramatic monologues are important tools for furthering character development and shedding light on the major themes in your story. A dramatic monologue is typically a long excerpt in a larger piece of writing that reveals the character’s thoughts and feelings, but should not slow down the pace of the larger piece, only further it. [1] X Research source

Understanding the Role and Structure of a Dramatic Monologue

• A dramatic monologue usually occurs when a character is facing an extreme crisis, a dramatic moment in the plot, or a “do-or-die” situation where simple actions can no longer suitably convey the immense feeling or desire the character is dealing with.
• An effective dramatic monologue should express the goal, agenda, or backstory of the speaker. It can also try to enlist the support of other characters or the audience, or attempt to change the hearts and minds of the audience or the listener.
• A dramatic monologue can be used in theater, poetry and film.

• A monologue differs from a soliloquy [4] X Research source in that a soliloquy is literally a character talking to him/herself. A dramatic monologue has an implied audience, as the character will usually be speaking to another character in the monologue.

The serpent that did sting thy father's life Now wears his crown. Thy uncle, Ay, that incestuous, that adulterous beast, With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts-- O wicked wit and gifts, that have the power So to seduce! -- won to his shameful lust The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen.

• Shakespeare uses a dramatic monologue to provide Hamlet's motivation to kill Claudius and to give Hamlet’s father an emotional presence in the play through a direct address to Hamlet and by extension, to the audience.

• The monologue is dramatic in that is is meant to be read to an audience. In poetry, a dramatic monologue allows the poet to express a point of view through a certain character.

Christ, it was better than hunting bear which don't know why you want him dead.

• Using the device of the dramatic monologue in the poem, Hayden is able to create powerful emotion through taking on the disturbing and violent voice of a character.

• Robert Browning's poem “My Last Duchess”. [9] X Research source
• Madame Ranevsky’s monologue in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard . [10] X Research source
• The Indianapolis monologue in Spielberg’s Jaws . [11] X Research source
• Jules’ shepherd monologue in Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction . [12] X Research source

• To whom is the speaker addressing in the monologue?
• What does the speaker want from the addressee or receiver of the monologue?
• Why is the speaker performing the monologue at this point in the story?
• How does this monologue affect the overall plot and/or development of the speaker, as well as the other characters in the scene or in the story?
• What kind of language or description is the speaker using? What gives the speaker a unique or distinct voice?

Jules: Well there's this passage I got memorized. Ezekiel 25:17. "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you."

• The speaker is the character Jules Winnfield, a hit man played by Samuel L. Jackson.
• In previous scenes in the film, we are shown Jules and his partner, Vincent Vega (John Travolta) carrying out a hit on a group of college kids who stole money from their boss, Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). During the hit, one of the kids shoots at Jules and Vincent, but, by some miracle, none of the bullets end up killing either men. Jules takes it as a sign from a higher power and during this dramatic monologue, explains that he is reconsidering his stance on killing others, or being “the tyranny of evil.”
• The dramatic monologue occurs at a key character moment for Jules, and the receiver of the monologue, a robber named “Honey Bunny”, becomes a stand in for all of the other people Jules has killed in the past. The monologue ends with Jules putting down his gun and allowing the robbers to leave unharmed, a major moment of character development.
• In terms of language use, Jules quotes a passage from the Bible, Ezekiel 25:17, which is a throwback to the earlier scene where he kills the college kids. Using Biblical language and then analyzing the more formal, poetic language of the Bible with curse words and casual slang like “my righteous ass” and “tryin’” instead of “trying”, Jules’ character expresses himself with a distinct tone and style in the monologue that is consistent with his speech and voice in previous scenes in the film.

Preparing to Write Your Own Dramatic Monologue

• For example, the ghost monologue in Hamlet is serving the overall story in two ways: it relays key information to the play’s protagonist (Hamlet), thereby setting him up to fulfill a revenge plot to get back at his murderous uncle [15] X Research source and also adds to the feeling of unnatural occurrences or not quite reality in the play. [16] X Research source So, though the ghost is not a major character, having the ghost as the speaker of the monologue still serves the overall story and furthers the action of the main character in the play.
• Comparatively, Jules’ monologue in “Pulp Fiction” serves to further character development in the story by allowing one of the main characters to express their emotions and explain the way his understanding of his work and of himself have evolved. The monologue illustrates the character’s progression from the beginning of the story to the end of the story and lets the viewer know a change or shift has occurred for that character.

• If it is a monologue that will show character development, you may want to place it towards the mid point or climax of the story or towards the end of the story.
• If it is a monologue that is going to spoken by a minor character to relay information to a main character or add to the theme or mood of the story, you may want to place it earlier in the action of the story.
• For example, the ghost monologue in Hamlet occurs early in the play, Act I, Scene 5. By the time the ghost appears, Shakespeare has already established Hamlet as a the main character as well as his unease or melancholy nature, and the “foul” or troubled state of the kingdom of Denmark. The monologue then moves the story forward as it causes Hamlet to take action, thereby furthering the overall plot.
• Comparably, Jules’ monologue takes place in the last scene of the film, and functions to show that Jules has changed or shifted. The previous scenes all served to illustrate Jules’ journey as a main character and prepares the audience for his moment of realization. The monologue resolves the conflict he struggled with throughout the rest of the film, so it is placed at the end of the film as a moment of resolution.

Writing the Monologue

• Use your character's voice. Keep in mind the language, description, and tone of that character. Focus on sensory details like taste, touch, sound, etc. to engage the audience’s empathy or emotion for the character by engaging their senses. [18] X Research source
• Use the present tense. This is happening now and should have a sense of urgency.

• You could begin the scene with a short introduction to the speaker, such as in the ghost monologue: “I am thy father’s spirit.”
• You could then have the speaker and the other character(s) have a conversation or dialogue to build up the monologue, such as in the diner scene with Jules’ monologue, where Jules asks if the robber (Tim Roth) reads the Bible before launching into the monologue with a Biblical passage.

• In the ghost monologue, the ghost (speaker) starts a dialogue with Hamlet and over the course of the dialogue, the ghost says lines like "Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder". [19] X Research source Gradually, the ghost's motive for speaking to Hamlet becomes clearer.
• In Jules’ monologue, he recites a passage from the Bible that will frame his larger point about the “tyranny of evil”. The passage also has a double meaning as it was used by Jules in an earlier scene right before he killed the college kids. This is a callback to the previous scene but it places the same passage within a different moment in the character’s journey. The context for the passage has changed for Jules and as a result, it has also changed for the audience.

• In the ghost monologue, the climax occurs once the ghost has detailed how he was poisoned by his own brother, Hamlet’s uncle, and his crown and queen was stolen from him. This is a game changer for Hamlet (and by extension, the audience), as it then moves Hamlet to avenge his father’s death and also allows the audience to have sympathy for the wrongful death of Hamlet's father.
• In Jules’ monologue, the climax occurs when Jules notes that the listener (the robber) is “weak” and he is the “tyranny of evil” but, despite this evil, he is “tryin’ real hard to be the shepherd”. This climax indicates the robbers will likely live instead of die, and also illustrate the reason why Jules decides to give up his life as a hitman and be a “shepherd” rather than be an active part of the “tyranny of evil.”

• The ghost monologue ends with a call to action for Hamlet to avenge his murder. In the rest of the scene, Hamlet acknowledges this new information about his murderous uncle and responds to the ghost’s call to vengeance by vowing to get even.
• At the end of Jules’ monologue, he punctuates his desire to be a “shepherd” rather than part of the “tyranny of evil” by cocking his gun and placing it on the table, thereby allowing the robbers to leave the scene unharmed.

Editing the Monologue

• Ensure the monologue flows well within the larger story. There should be enough build up or dramatic tension in the moments before the monologue occurs to justify the need for a dramatic monologue. [20] X Research source
• The audience should be prepared, rather than surprised or confused, by the monologue.

• Check the timing of the monologue. Does it take too long to get started? Should it end sooner? What can be cut from the draft? Look for places where the monologue sounds redundant or the same point is stated in different ways.

• Ask your listeners if they understood the overall message or purpose of the monologue.
• If you are writing a dramatic monologue for a play or film, it may be useful to have two people act out the scene with the monologue.
• Have someone read the monologue back to you. Listening to someone else interpret your words is a great way to see if your message is clear, the character voice is believable, and there is enough detail in the monologue.

Sample Monologue

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• ↑ http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/dramatic-monologue-definition-examples-quiz.html
• ↑ http://www.wheresthedrama.com/monologues.htm
• ↑ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/553410/soliloquy
• ↑ http://www.monologuearchive.com/s/shakespeare_004.html
• ↑ http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/poetic-technique-dramatic-monologue
• ↑ http://www.blueridgejournal.com/poems/rh-night.htm
• ↑ http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/my-last-duchess
• ↑ http://www.monologuearchive.com/c/chekhov_014.html
• ↑ http://www.monologuegenie.com/monologue-writing-101.html
• ↑ http://www.whysanity.net/monos/jules.html
• ↑ http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamlet_1_5.html
• ↑ https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/hamlet/ghost-quotes.html
• ↑ https://overland.org.au/2012/07/dont-kill-your-darlings/

About This Article

A dramatic monologue is a great way to draw your audience in and shed some light on your character. To write a good monologue, you’ll want to start with a compelling opening statement to grab the audience’s attention, like “I am just like my father.” Then, have your character work through whatever issue they’re having out loud. Keep in mind that a monologue, while spoken by 1 character, is usually addressed to another character, so you should plan to have a 2nd character on stage during the scene. A good monologue usually ends with a call to action that keeps the play moving. For example, you might have your character resolve to avenge his father’s death at the end of his speech. To learn how to edit your monologue, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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English Studies

This website is dedicated to English Literature, Literary Criticism, Literary Theory, English Language and its teaching and learning.

Dramatic Monologue: A Literary Device

A dramatic monologue is a literary device in which a character, often the speaker, delivers a speech that reveals their inner thoughts, emotions, and experiences to an audience or an imaginary listener.

Etymology of Dramatic Monologue

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The term “dramatic monologue” has its etymological roots in the fusion of two distinct components, each bearing rich literary traditions. The term “dramatic” derives from the Greek word “dramatikos,” signifying something pertaining to drama or the theatrical arts.

In the context of literature, “dramatic” conveys the idea of presenting a narrative through the voice of a character distinct from the author, thus suggesting a performative aspect.

“Monologue,” on the other hand, has its origins in the Greek “monologos,” which means “speaking alone.” It is characterized by a soliloquy or an extended speech by a single character, reflecting their inner thoughts, emotions, or experiences.

The combination of “dramatic” and “monologue” captures the essence of this literary form—a single character’s expressive speech within a narrative, often revealing their internal dilemmas and providing a dramatic dimension to the text, popularized notably by Victorian poets like Robert Browning.

Meanings of Dramatic Monologue

Definition of dramatic monologue.

A dramatic monologue is a literary device in which a character, often the speaker, delivers a speech that reveals their inner thoughts, emotions, and experiences to an audience or an imaginary listener. This device allows for an in-depth exploration of the character’s psyche and often serves as a means of self-expression. It is commonly used in poetry and drama to provide insight into a character’s motivations, personality, and the thematic elements of a work.

Types of Dramatic Monologue

Shakespearean dramatic monologues, suggested readings.

• Gubar, Susan. The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination . Yale University Press, 2000.
• Shaw, W. David. “ The Victorian Imagination: Essays in Aesthetic Exploration .” Modern Language Quarterly 42.2 (1981): 199-202.
• Kucich, John. Imperial Masochism: British Fiction, Fantasy, and Social Class . Princeton University Press, 2007.
• Miller, J. Hillis. Victorian Subjects . Duke University Press, 1991.
• McFarland, Thomas. Romanticism and the Forms of Ruin: Wordsworth, Coleridge, and the Modalities of Fragmentation . Princeton University Press, 1981.

More on Literary Devices below:

• Enthymeme: A Literary Device
• Enthymeme in Literature

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• Onomatopoeia: A Literary Device

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• Literary Terms
• Definition & Examples
• When & How to Use a Monologue

I. What is a Monologue?

A monologue is a speech given by a single character in a story. In drama, it is the vocalization of a character’s thoughts; in literature, the verbalization. It is traditionally a device used in theater—a speech to be given on stage—but nowadays, its use extends to film and television.

II. Example of a Monologue

A monologue speaks at people, not with people. Many plays and shows involving performers begin with a single character giving a monologue to the audience before the plot or action begins. For example, envision a ringleader at a circus…

Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls!

Tonight, your faces will glow with wonder

As you witness some of the greatest acts ever seen in the ring!

Beauties and beasts, giants and men, dancers and daredevils

Will perform before your very eyes

Some of the most bold and wondrous stunts

You’ve yet beheld!

Watch, now,

As they face fire and water,

Depths and heights,

Danger and fear…

The ringleader’s speech is directed to the audience. His monologue helps him build anticipation and excitement in his viewers while he foreshadows some of the thrills the performance will contain.

A monologue doesn’t have to be at the start or end of a play, show, or movie—on the contrary, they occur all of the time. Imagine a TV series about a group of young friends, and on this episode, one friend has been being a bully. The group is telling jokes about some of the things the bully has done to other kids at school, when one girl interrupts everyone…

You know, I don’t think what you are doing is funny. In fact, I think it is sad. You think you’re cool because you grew faster than some people, and now you can beat them up? What is cool about hurting people? We are all here pretending that you’re a leader, when really, I know that you’re nothing but a mean bully! All this time I’ve been scared to say that, but just now, I realized that I’m not afraid of bullies—so, I won’t be afraid of you!

When a conversation stops and shifts focus to a single character’s speech, it is usually a sign of a monologue. In this situation, a group conversation between friends turns into one girl’s response; a monologue addressing bullying and the bully himself.

III. Types of Monologues

A. soliloquy.

A speech that a character gives to himself—as if no one else is listening — which voices his inner thoughts aloud. Basically, a soliloquy captures a character talking to himself at length out loud . Of course, the audience (and sometimes other characters) can hear the speech, but the person talking to himself is unaware of others listening. For example, in comedy, oftentimes a character is pictured giving themselves a lengthy, uplifting speech in the mirror…while a friend is secretly watching them and laughing. The soliloquy is one of the most fundamental dramatic devices used by Shakespeare in his dramas .  

B. Dramatic Monologue

A speech that is given directly to the audience or another character. It can be formal or informal, funny or serious; but it is almost always significant in both length and purpose. For example, a scene that captures a president’s speech to a crowd exhibits a dramatic monologue that is both lengthy and important to the story’s plotline. In fact, in TV, theater ,and film, all speeches given by a single character—to an audience, the audience, or even just one character—are dramatic monologues .

C. Internal Monologue

The expression of a character’s thoughts so that the audience can witness (or read, in literature) what is going on inside that character’s mind. It is sometimes (depending on the style in) referred to as “stream-of-consciousness.” In a piece of writing, internal monologues can often be easily identified by italicized blocks of text that express a character’s inner thoughts. On TV and in films, internal monologues are usually spoken in the character’s voice, but without seeing him actually speak; thus giving the feeling of being able to hear his thoughts .

IV. Importance of Monologues

Monologues give the audience and other characters access to what a particular character is thinking, either through a speech or the vocalization of their thoughts. While the purpose of a speech is obvious, the latter is particularly useful for characterization : it aids the audience in developing an idea about what the character is really thinking, which in turn helps (or can later help) explain their previous (or future) actions and behavior.

V. Examples of Monologue in Literature

As a technique principally used on the stage (or screen), the best examples of monologues in literature are found in dramatic literature, most notably in Shakespeare’s dramas. Below is selection of arguably the most famous monologue in literature— soliloquy , specifically—from Act III Scene I of the tragedy Hamlet . This soliloquy begins with the well-known words “To be, or not to be- that is the question:”

HAMLET 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. To die- to sleep- No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to. ‘Tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish’d. To die- to sleep. To sleep- perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub! For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. There’s the respect That makes calamity of so long life.

This scene reveals to the audience that Hamlet is contemplating suicide. His words express an internal thought process that we would normally not be able to witness. The only reason that Shakespeare has Hamlet speak these words out loud is so that the audience—not anyone else in the play—can hear them. He uses a soliloquy to share Hamlet’s unstable state of mind and disquieting thoughts.

In Mark Twain’s short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” the narrator is sent to find a man named Simon Wheeler, who will tell him a story. After the narrator introduces the premise, he explains that he let Wheeler “go on in his own way, and never interrupted him once.” He follows with Wheeler’s story, told in Wheeler’s voice, which he achieves through the shift in the style of speech. Below is a small piece of the story:

There was a feller here once by the name of  Jim  Smiley, in the winter of ’49—or may be it was the spring of ’50—I don’t recollect exactly, somehow, though what makes me think it was one or the other is because I remember the big flume wasn’t finished when he first came to the camp; but any way he was the curiosest man about always betting on any thing that turned up you ever see, if he could get anybody to bet on the other side; and if he couldn’t, he’d change sides. Any way that suited the other man would suit him—any way just so’s he got a bet,  he  was satisfied. But still he was lucky, uncommon lucky; he most always come out winner.

Mark Twain was a literary genius when it came to storytelling—he could make the page seem like a stage with the way he used spelling and grammar to bring a character’s accent and personality to life. Wheeler’s story is a dramatic monologue , which Twain used to achieve the feeling of a real storytelling exchange between two people. His employment of this dramatic technique in this short story makes the readers feel like they are hearing Wheeler’s story firsthand.

VI. Examples of Monologue in Pop Culture

Oftentimes, a conversation occurs between characters and then shifts to one character giving a significant speech. This is a popular way of inserting a monologue into a scene. In this scene from Season 5 Episode 10 of the TV horror The Walking Dead , the group is talking around the campfire:

Every day he woke up and told himself, ‘Rest in peace; now get up and go to war,’” says Rick. “After a few years of pretending he was dead, he made it out alive. That’s the trick of it, I think. We do what we need to do, and then we get to live. No matter what we find in D.C., I know we’ll be okay. This is how we survive: We tell ourselves that we are the walking dead. -Rick Grimes

Here, Rick’s monologue begins when the dialogue ceases to be a group discussion. Now he alone is speaking to the group—he is giving a dramatic monologue .

In one of the most popular Christmas movies to date, A Christmas Story , the protagonist Ralphie is also the narrator. However, the narration is internal: Ralphie isn’t speaking directly to us, but he is openly letting us in on his thoughts.

As you’ve now heard in this clip, Ralphie’s voice is that of an adult man, and that’s why the narration style in this film is unique—adult Ralphie is simultaneously reflecting on the past and reenacting present-Ralphie’s thoughts. The mental debate he has about who taught him the curse word and what to tell his mother is an internal monologue : we can hear his thoughts; thus the situation is funnier and more thought provoking.

VIII. Related Terms

An aside is when a character briefly pauses to speak directly to the audience, but no other characters are aware of it. It is very similar to a monologue; however, the primary difference between the two is that an aside is very short ; it can be just one word, or a couple of sentences, but it is always brief—monologues are substantial in length. Furthermore, an aside is always said directly to the audience, usually accomplished (in film and television) by looking directly into the camera. As an example, asides are a key part of the style of the Netflix series House of Cards ; the main character Francis Underwood often looks directly into the camera and openly addresses the audience as if they are present, while the other characters do not know that the audience exists.

While a monologue is a given by one character (“mono”=single), a dialogue is a conversation that occurs between two or more characters. Monologues and dialogues are similar in that they both deliver language to the audience. For instance, in a movie, a race winner’s speech is a monologue, however, a speech collectively given by several members of a team is dialogue. Both techniques can address the audience, but the difference lies in how many people are speaking.

In conclusion, monologues (and dialogues) are arguably the most fundamental parts of onstage drama and dramatic literature. Without them, essentially only silent film and theater could exist, as monologues provide the only way for the audience to witness a character’s thoughts.

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• Dramatic Monologue

No other poetic form brings the taste of the theatrical quite like the dramatic monologue. The form's often dark themes are explored through the eyes of a fictional character. Here we will look at some examples of dramatic monologue and explore its different types and characteristics.

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Dramatic monologues: definition

The dramatic monologue is a poetic form which is written in the first person, with one character addressing another. A monologue is a theatrical term for a lengthy speech from a single character. The dramatic monologue in poetry is similar as it is also from the perspective of one person. The speaker is usually thought of as a character, and as the poems progress, more of their personality is revealed.

A dramatic monologue can sometimes be referred to as a persona poem, with the poem's speaker regarded as the 'persona'. Elements of the dramatic monologue can be found in epic poetry, but it is largely thought to have come into prominence in the early 19th century. Romantic poets such as William Wordsworth and Robert Browning are seen as early pioneers of dramatic monologues. The poetic form continued to be popular with poets in the 20th century; modernist T.S Eliot wrote the well-known dramatic monologue 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' (1915).

Often in dramatic monologues, the speaker is a fictional character. In other dramatic monologues, the speaker is a known person from history.

Robert Browning's poem ' My Last Duchess ' (1849) is loosely based on the 16th-century Duke of Ferrara.

Whether the speaker is fictional or historical, they are usually considered distinctively different from the poet. This allows poets to explore themes or narratives that are outside their own experiences.

Dramatic monologue: characteristics

Here we will look at some of the common characteristics of the dramatic monologue form.

First-person perspective

As the name suggests, the dramatic monologue uses the voice of a single person. The poems are usually presented as a speech from a character who is markedly different from the poet. The reader only hears from the point of view of the speaker and their thoughts and feeling. The character or speaker is normally addressing their thoughts to an audience that the reader is unaware of.

A silent audience

Though dramatic monologues often take the form and tone of a conversation, the reader does not hear the thoughts of the audience the speaker is addressing. The speaker would address the audience directly and even ask questions, but their answers are unheard. The audience is largely only ever implied rather than explicitly referenced.

The slow reveal of character

Often dramatic monologues occur before or after a significant moment for the character. The speaker tends to reveal more of their personality or intentions as the poem progresses. In ' My Last Duchess ', it becomes clear at the end of the poem that the speaker has had their previous wife killed.

Types of dramatic monologue

In this section, we will look at the three common types of dramatic monologue with examples.

The romantic

Not to be confused with the poets of the 18th century, the romantic monologue is romantic in the way we now know it. These are poems that are on the subject of love and relationships. Sometimes these poems are about past or current loves, and occasionally they can be about a love desired or unrequited.

'The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock' (1915) by T.S Eliot is about unrequited love

Romantic monologues can also express other difficulties with relationships.

The poem 'Dilemma' (1990) by Anthony Hecht is about a woman having trouble choosing between two men.

The conversational

In the conversational dramatic monologue, the poems are depicted in the style and tone of a conversation. The speaker of these poems would appear to be talking to another person and often responding to their audience. Judith Wright's poem 'Eve to Her Daughters' (1961) is presented as the Biblical Eve addressing her daughters in a post-apocalyptic world. Despite these monologues being presented as conversations, readers only hear the speech of one character.

The psychological or philosophical

In these poems, the speaker is either musing on their philosophy or providing an insight into their psychology. One famous example of the psychological dramatic monologue is Sylvia Plath's 'Lady Lazarus' (1965). In Plath's poem, the reader is made aware of the speaker's state of mind after failing to commit suicide. A more philosophical monologue is William Wordsworth 's 'Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey' (1798). The poem's speaker informs the reader about their personal philosophy while walking by a river.

Dramatic monologue: examples

Here we will take a closer look at two of the more famous examples of dramatic monologue.

'My Last Duchess' (1849)

Perhaps one of the most famous examples of the dramatic monologue is Robert Browning's 'My Last Duchess'. The speaker in the poem is loosely based on a 16th-century duke, Alfonso of Ferrara. In the poem, the speaker addresses an ambassador for a rich family who is arranging the Duke's next marriage.

The Duke is showing the ambassador a portrait of his deceased wife. He begins to talk of the painting's creation but soon speaks more about his wife herself. It soon becomes apparent that the Duke is extremely jealous of his wife's flirtatious behaviour and eventually reveals that he had her killed. The poem uses heroic couplets and is written in iambic pentameter .

Heroic couplets are pairs of lines that rhyme in iambic pentameter . Each pair of lines would contain an end rhyme.

Iambic pentameter is a form of meter which uses ten syllables in each line. The syllables are arranged in pairs of unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one.

'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' (1915)

T.S. Eliot's dramatic monologue is regarded as one of the most important poems of the modernist movement. In the poem, the speaker discusses his anxieties regarding social interaction. The poem's main theme is loneliness. 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' is a long poem with 19 stanzas of varying length.

The speaker of the poem is the Alfred Prufrock of the title, who appears to be addressing a prospective lover. However, he is crippled by anxiety and would not 'dare' pursue the relationship. The poem is highly complex and uses a variety of meters throughout. The variety of meters means that the poem is largely considered to be written in free verse . The poem does not have a consistent rhyme scheme but does feature many rhyming couplets within.

Dramatic monologue: effect

As alluded to in its name, the dramatic monologue is often theatrical. The word 'dramatic' can be described as being associated with high drama . All dramatic monologues consist of one character sharing their point of view with an audience that can't be heard. This allows poets to present a dramatic situation through the eyes of a character distant from themselves. It also affords an opportunity for the poet to present a character that is both biased and unreliable.

The dramatic monologue also provides poets with the opportunity to express somewhat contrarian ideas in a theatrical scenario. The character in a dramatic monologue can act as a mask for a poet, and the ideas expressed can be seen as different to their own. This means that the points of view can be darker or more exaggerated than they might usually be.

The themes covered in dramatic monologues often show the more extreme side of human emotion, such as jealousy, anxiety or obsessive love.

The poem 'My Last Duchess' by Robert Browning is a good example of the dark themes afforded by the dramatic monologue - the speaker states that he had his wife killed due to his extreme jealousy.

The dramatic monologue is one of the rare poetic forms that can dictate a poem's theme and tone.

Dramatic Monologue - Key takeaways

• A dramatic monologue is a form of poetry written in the first person.
• The poems are told from the perspective of a fictional character who is addressing an unseen audience.
• The three characteristics of a dramatic monologue are; first-person perspective, a silent audience and the slow reveal of character.
• One of the most famous dramatic monologues is Robert Browning's 'My Last Duchess'(1849).
• There are three types of dramatic monologue; romantic, conversational and psychological.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Dramatic Monologue

What is the function of dramatic monologue?

The function of a dramatic monologue is to explore a character's psychology through their speech.

What is a dramatic monologue?

A dramatic monologue is a poem written in the first person from a fictional character's perspective. 

What is a dramatic monologue example?

One of the most famous examples of a dramatic monologue is Robert Browning's 'My Last Duchess' (1849).

How do you identify a dramatic monologue?

You can identify a dramatic monologue if it is a poem told in the first person with one character addressing another.

What are the most important characteristics of a dramatic monologue?

The three characteristics of a dramatic monologue are:

• first-person perspective
• a silent audience
• a slow reveal of character 

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