12.3 Soliloquy, Aside, and Monologue

Soliloquy, Aside, and Monologue

Quick Answer: These three devices all involve one character speaking at length, but they differ by who can hear. A soliloquy is spoken by a character alone on stage (no other characters present) and reveals private thought. An aside is a brief remark directed to the audience or spoken to oneself, unheard by other characters who are present on stage. A monologue is an extended speech delivered to other characters who are present and listening. Confusing these three is one of the most common CLEP drama errors — always ask, "who can hear this?"

Because drama has no narrator, playwrights need special techniques to let the audience access a character's private thoughts. Soliloquy, aside, and monologue are the three main tools for this, and CLEP passages test your ability to identify which one is in use and what its privacy status implies about the character's honesty and self-awareness.

The Core Distinction: Who Is Listening?

The single most important skill here is checking the stage directions and surrounding context for who is on stage when a long speech begins. If the direction indicates other characters have exited, or the speech is explicitly marked "alone," you are reading a soliloquy. If characters remain on stage but a bracketed note says "(to the audience)" or "(aside)," it's an aside. If characters remain on stage and are clearly meant to hear the speech, it's a monologue.

Soliloquy: Speaking to No One

Consider this original excerpt, in which a character is left alone after other characters exit:

(Exit CLARA and PHILIP. MARGUERITE remains, alone.)

MARGUERITE. He asked if I looked everywhere. I did not look everywhere. I looked exactly where I knew he wouldn't be, because some part of me needed one more day of not knowing. Now I know. And knowing has not made the house any less quiet.

Because Marguerite is alone (established by the stage direction), this speech is a soliloquy. It grants the reader privileged access to a truth she has not admitted aloud to Dennis: her searching was partly avoidance. Soliloquies are especially valuable to CLEP questions about a character's true motivation or self-knowledge, because the character has no audience on stage to perform for — there is no reason to lie or posture. When a question asks "what does this speech reveal that the character has not told anyone else?" a soliloquy is often the passage type in play.

However, a soliloquy does not guarantee the character is aware of their own truth; a character can still be self-deceived even when alone. Look for gaps between what the character claims to feel and what their word choice or repetition betrays — the same subtext-reading skills from 12.2 apply even in private speech.

Aside: A Private Word Amid Public Speech

An aside is much shorter than a soliloquy and occurs within a scene where other characters are present but conventionally cannot hear the remark. Consider:

DENNIS. (to MARGUERITE) Of course, I understand completely why you were late.

DENNIS. (aside) I understand nothing. I have been standing here for forty minutes rehearsing forgiveness I do not feel.

DENNIS. (to MARGUERITE) Shall we go in?

Here, Dennis's public line to Marguerite is generous and calm, but the aside — heard only by the reader/audience — reveals resentment he is actively suppressing. This is a compact form of dramatic irony: Marguerite believes Dennis has forgiven her, but the reader knows otherwise. Asides are frequently tested because they compress a large gap between public performance and private feeling into just one or two lines, making them efficient (and popular) sources of exam questions about hidden motive.

Monologue: An Extended Speech With an On-Stage Listener

A monologue is delivered to other characters who remain present and can hear every word. Because the speaker knows they are being heard, a monologue is often more calculated, persuasive, or performative than a soliloquy. Consider:

(PHILIP and CLARA remain on stage, listening.)

MARGUERITE. You think this is about being late. It was never about being late. It's about the fact that in eleven years, you have never once been the one waiting. You have never stood on a corner wondering if the other person changed their mind about the whole arrangement. So no, I will not apologize for forty minutes, because you have never once had to learn what that feels like.

Because Philip and Clara are explicitly present and listening, this is a monologue, not a soliloquy — even though it is a single character speaking at length. Marguerite is not confessing a private truth to herself; she is making an argument to an audience within the scene, which means her words may be shaped for persuasive effect (note the accusatory "you" and rhetorical structure) rather than representing unfiltered inner thought. CLEP questions distinguishing monologue from soliloquy often hinge on exactly this: whether the speech is performed for someone or overheard by no one.

Quick Identification Checklist

When you encounter an extended speech by a single character, ask in order:

1. Does the stage direction or preceding text establish that other characters have exited or are absent? If yes → soliloquy.
2. Is the speech very brief (often a line or two) and marked "(aside)" or "(to the audience)" while other characters remain present but not reacting to it? If yes → aside.
3. Are other characters present, and does the speech seem addressed to them (using "you," direct argument, or response cues)? If yes → monologue.
4. Does the content sound rehearsed, persuasive, or defensive rather than confessional? This leans toward monologue (performed for an on-stage listener) rather than soliloquy (unheard private thought).

Why the Distinction Matters for Interpretation

The privacy status of a speech directly affects how reliable or honest we should consider it:

• Soliloquies are conventionally read as the most trustworthy window into a character's inner state, since there's no on-stage audience to perform for — though self-deception is still possible.
• Asides reveal a specific, often ironic gap between a character's public behavior and private feeling, usually within a single social interaction.
• Monologues must be read more skeptically, since the speaker knows they are being heard and may be shaping their words to persuade, justify, or wound a specific listener.

Recognizing which device is at work — and therefore how much to trust the words on the page — is essential to answering CLEP questions about character motive, honesty, and dramatic irony in any excerpt built around a long speech.