What is a Soliloquy?
What is a Soliloquy?
In the stage version of Shakepeare's Hamlet, the main character, Hamlet, holds a skull as he begins to deliver his famous lines:
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 heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
Hamlet delivers these lines while he is alone on the stage. They are the beginning lines of a famous soliloquy.
A soliloquy is a speech that a character gives to himself (or herself). It's as if the character is thinking out loud. Even if there are other characters on the stage, they cannot hear what the speaker is saying.
A soliloquy helps the audience understand how what is happening on stage affects the character internally.
In the soliloquy above, how does Hamlet feel about what is going on around him? The audience learns that Hamlet is conflicted and suffering. Should he die or continue to bear the troubles of this life?
Complete the practice questions and the worksheet below to practice reading and understanding soliloquies.
Related Worksheets:
Related Lessons: