Monologue

A monologue is a speech delivered by a single speaker in performance or text, addressing an audience or other characters, and often revealing thoughts, feelings, or information central to the work.

In theater, a related form is the soliloquy, where a character speaks alone on stage to disclose private thoughts. By contrast, an aside is a short remark directed to the audience, not intended to be heard by other characters. A monologue may be long or brief and may occur within dialogue or as a stand-alone piece.

Literary monologues include dramatic monologues in poetry or prose and interior monologue, where the narrator's internal thoughts are rendered with narrative technique such as stream of consciousness. They are used to explore character psychology or present a point of view.

Purpose and techniques: to develop characterization, reveal motives, deliver exposition, or establish mood. They may employ rhetoric, imagery, or persuasive voice and can drive narrative tension through the speaker's perspective.

In film, television, and radio, monologues may appear as voice-overs or narrated segments, providing insight or commentary outside of dialogue between characters.

Etymology: from Latin monologus, from Greek monos "single" and logos "speech" or "word." The term entered English in the early modern period and has since covered a range of forms across genres.