monológus

Monológus is a performer who specializes in delivering monologues—extended speeches spoken by one person. In theatre and narrative performance, a monologue is a long, uninterrupted speech that is directed at other characters, the audience, or functions as a character’s inner reflection spoken aloud. A monológus may perform a single sustained speech or a sequence of stories drawn from personal experience, history, or fiction. Monologues are commonly used in drama to reveal character, backstory, or social commentary.

A distinction is often made between a soliloquy, where a character speaks to themselves and the audience, and a monologue that is directed toward other characters or listeners. A one-person show or monodrama is a formal work built around the solo performance of a single artist, frequently combining storytelling, narrative, and performance skills.

In contemporary usage, the term monológus can refer to performers in theatre, stand-up, or storytelling formats who rely on long-form speech rather than dialogue with a corps of actors. In literary criticism, a monologue may be a narrative device in which a single voice narrates events, thoughts, or memories, sometimes adopting multiple personas. The concept is widely used in Hungarian criticism and programme notes to describe actors, oral historians, or performance artists who emphasize speech and spoken memory.

Etymology: from Greek monos “alone” and logos “speech.”