In fact, making a monologue to enrich a drama script is not as easy as you might think. A good monologue should be able to bring out the details of the plot and characters without ruining the whole drama or making the audience die of boredom; In addition, a quality monologue must also be able to express a character's thoughts and contribute to adding emotion and tension throughout the rest of the drama. Interested in making a monologue? Basically, the monologues you create can be used to enrich the details of one of the characters or to increase the intensity of the drama as a whole. Whatever your goal, try drafting a monologue and understanding its structure first; only then can you start writing your monologue and perfect it before showing it to the public.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Drafting the Monologue Concept
Step 1. Determine the perspective of the monologue
A good monologue should be able to highlight the perspective of one of the characters in the drama; Focusing the monologue on the point of view of one of the powerful characters gives a different purpose and color to the monologue.
For example, you could create a monologue for the main character in a play to give him the opportunity to express his thoughts independently. If you want, you can also create monologues for extra characters who don't have room to express themselves in the drama
Step 2. Determine the purpose of the monologue
A good monologue should have a purpose and be able to contribute to the overall drama. For example, your monologue should be able to reveal a fact that cannot be revealed through interaction or dialogue between characters (such as a story, a secret, a character's emotional expression, or the answer to one big question throughout the play). By doing so, your monologue has a clear goal of revealing an important fact to the audience.
- The monologue must also be able to increase the attractiveness of the drama. In other words, the monologue must be able to contribute tension, conflict, or emotional expression to the whole drama while giving the audience a new perspective on the main issues in the drama.
- For example, there may be characters in your play who never speak throughout the opening scene of the play. Try creating a monologue that finally gets him to speak and explains the reason behind his silence. Thus, the monologue will contribute to the next scene because the audience already knows the reason behind the character's silence.
Step 3. Decide who will be discussed in the monologue
In other words, determine who the monologue reader will be talking to so that you consider the audience's perspective. For example, your monologue may be addressed to a specific character in the play; it may also be that the monologue is addressed to the reader himself or to an audience.
If the reader of the monologue harbors certain emotions or feelings that you want to express to one of the characters, try addressing the monologue to the related character. The monologue can also be used as a way for related characters to express their personal feelings and thoughts regarding an event
Step 4. Think about the beginning, middle, and end of the monologue
A good monologue should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Like a short story, the monologue must also show a clear transition from beginning to end; for example, the reader of the monologue must be able to reveal a fact that can make the monologue sound more purposeful.
- Try creating a rough outline that includes the beginning, middle, and end of the monologue. There's no need to build a perfect outline; instead, you can simply write down a rough outline of what happened throughout the monologue.
- For example, try writing, “Beginning: mute Elena finally speaks. Middle: He tells why he chose to remain silent. End: He realized it was better to be silent than to speak his mind out loud.”
- Another option that you can do is to create a line beginning and end of the monologue. After that, you can fill the space between the two lines with relevant ideas and thoughts.
Step 5. Read some examples of quality monologues
To understand the structure of a monologue better, you should first read some of the monologues that have already been published. These monologues are part of a larger drama, but can also stand alone because they contain various dramatic elements. Some examples of monologues worth reading are:
- Monologue The Duchess of Berwick in Oscar Wilde's play Lady Windermere's Fan.
- Jean's monologue in August Strindberg's play Miss Julie.
- Christy's monologue in John Millington Synge's play The Playboy of the Western World.
- Monologue "My Princesa" by Antonia Rodriguez.
Part 2 of 3: Writing a Monologue
Step 1. Begin the monologue with a sentence that grabs the audience's interest
Supposedly, your monologue is able to immediately capture the audience's attention and make them willing to listen until the monologue is finished reading. Remember, the opening sentence of the monologue will determine the tone of the next monologue, as well as provide an overview of the character's voice and language to the audience.
- You can immediately start the monologue with a surprising revelation. For example, Christy's monologue in John Millington Synge's The Playboy of the Western World.
- The monologue above immediately explains to the audience that the reader of the monologue killed his father. After that, the monologue explains the events behind the decision and the feelings of the readers of the monologue regarding their actions.
Step 2. Use the character's voice and language
A good monologue must be written from the perspective of one of the characters, and must be able to express the unique voice and language of that character. A strong voice character can enrich the color, context, and perspective of a monologue, you know! Therefore, make sure you always write monologues with reference to the character's voice; Don't forget to include any slang terms or special phrases that the character might use.
- For example, the monologue “My Princesa” by Antonia Rodriguez was written from the perspective of a father who came from Latin America. That's why characters in monologues often use slang terms and language that fits the background such as " whoop his ass ", " I wanna know ", and " Oh hell naw !" These elements are effective in making the monologue sound more real and detailed in the ears of the audience.
- Another example is The Duchess of Berwick's monologue in Oscar Wilde's play Lady Windermere's Fan. In the monologue, the character has a very friendly, relaxed, and tends to be chatty to the audience. Oscar Wilde successfully uses character voices to reveal important plots and capture audience interest.
Step 3. Allow your character to reflect on the past and the future
Many monologues explain the current actions of characters by reflecting on events in their past. Instead, try to balance reflections on the past and explanations for your actions in the present; should, various details in the past be able to explain the actions or dilemmas of characters in the present. In other words, the character must try to use his memories to deal with the problems that are happening in his present life.
For example, Christy's monologue in John Millington Synge's play The Playboy of the Western World tries to justify his father's murder case by reflecting on events that happened in the past. He also tries to discuss various past decisions and events that are behind his current decision
Step 4. Add the required details and description
Always remember that your audience can't immediately imagine what's going on in your monologue; the only tool they have for building visualizations is the way you describe things. Therefore, try to describe as many things as the human senses can capture to capture the attention and interest of your audience.
- For example, Jean's monologue on August Strindberg's play Miss Julie opens with a depiction of Jean's childhood: “I live in a hut provided by the state with my seven brothers and a pig. Nothing grows in my yard, not even a tree. But from the window I could see the Noble's garden lined with thriving apple trees."
- The specific details in the monologue really do well to describe the ugliness of Jean's childhood home, complete with the fact that she has to live with pigs. These details are also effective in confirming Jean's character as well as helping the audience understand her background and past.
Step 5. Enter the moment of disclosure
Your monologue should involve a moment that reveals a fact to the reader of the monologue or to the audience. Trust me, your monologue will feel more purposeful because of it. In addition, these disclosures are effective in making your monologue contribute more to the overall drama.
For example, in Christy's monologue on John Millington Synge's play The Playboy of the Western World, readers of the monologue reveal the fact that all this time, his father had not been a good person. Then, he made a terrible confession to the audience, which was to kill his father to make this world a better place to live in
Step 6. Define a clear ending
A good monologue should have a clear ending; in other words, the thoughts you express throughout the monologue must have clear and relevant conclusions. For example, the reader of a monologue must accept something, overcome a problem or obstacle, or make a decision regarding a conflict in the related drama. At the end of the monologue, the reader of the monologue must be able to clearly state his decision.
For example, in Jean's monologue on August Strindberg's play Miss Julie, readers of the monologue reveal the fact that she attempted suicide because she felt too inferior to be with a character named Miss Julie. However, in the end he managed to stay alive. Jean ended his monologue by reflecting on his feelings for Miss Julie through the sentence: “You are indeed unreachable. Through your image, I realized how difficult it was to fly beyond the state I was born in.”
Part 3 of 3: Perfecting the Monologue
Step 1. Edit the monologue
An effective monologue should be short, concise, straightforward, and clear. In other words, the monologue should contain enough information for the audience, but not too long. To perfect your monologue, try reading it again and making any necessary revisions to increase its effectiveness.
Discard phrases that sound strange or less important. Delete words, phrases, or sentences that don't match the language and/or voice of the characters. Make sure you only include important details in the monologue
Step 2. Read the monologue aloud
Remember, the monologue is made to be read in front of an audience; For that, you must check the effectiveness of the monologue by reading it aloud in front of the mirror or the people closest to you. While reading it, try to assess whether the monologue has enough character and fits the speaking style of the person presenting it.
Note the moments when the monologue sounds confusing or difficult to understand; after that, try to simplify it so that your monologue can be more easily understood by listeners
Step 3. Have an actor perform your monologue
If possible, try to find an actor who can perform the monologue in front of you as an audience. If you're having trouble finding a professional actor, ask your friends to help bring your monologue to life on stage. Moreover, it will help you to revise the monologue from the perspective of an audience.
