Eyes on Final Fantasy Forums > Reference > Study Hall > Monologue help!!!

[Spawn of Sephiroth]

Ok, in my Introduction to Theater Arts class, I have to recite a 90 second monologue out loud in class. Problem is, Im not even sure where to start looking. I have been thinking about the scene from MacBeth where macbeth sees the bloody dagger, but I don't know if its 90 seconds long and if it is, where might I find it. Or does anyone have any other good ideas for monologues that I could do?

[Ouch!]

You could always fall back on Hamlet's "To be or not to be," soliloquy. While everyone is familiar with that line, a great deal of people don't realize what it means (a question as to whether or not he should commit suicide) which always makes it interesting when you actually go through the entire thing. If you pace yourself properly, it's easily 90 seconds.

[Heath]

If you feel brave you could always try Lucky's speech in Waiting for Godot xD

As for the Macbeth soliloquy you were after:

Originally Posted by Macbeth

Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee!
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation
Proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain?
I see thee yet, in form as palpable
As this which now I draw.
Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going,
And such an instrument I was to use.
Mine eyes are made the fools o' th' other senses,
Or else worth all the rest. I see thee still,
And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood,
Which was not so before. There's no such thing.
It is the bloody business which informs
Thus to mine eyes. Now o'er the one half-world
Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse
The curtained sleep. Witchcraft celebrates
Pale Hecate's offerings; and withered murder,
Alarumed by his sentinel, the wolf,
Whose howl 's his watch, thus with his stealthy pace,
With Tarquin's ravishing strides, towards his design
Moves like a ghost. Thou sure and firm-set earth,
Hear not my steps which way they walk, for fear
Thy very stones prate of my whereabout
And take the present horror from the time,
Which now suits with it. Whiles I threat, he lives;
Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives.

[A bell rings.]

I go, and it is done. The bell invites me.
Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell
That summons thee to heaven, or to hell.

Another possible Shakespearean soliloquy you could use is Shylock's famous "Hath a Jew not Eyes" from The Merchant of Venice. Another monologue that springs to mind is from King Lear, while we're on Shakespeare. Act two scene two, there's a scene on a heath (oh my!) in which Lear, being banished from the castle of his daughter, conjures up a storm with his words, curses Goneril and Regan and flies into a rage. Particularly interesting speech if nothing else. Probably ninety seconds too if paced properly.

[Spawn of Sephiroth]

alright. Thanks for the help. Now I just got to remember the lines.

[RubyLapiz]

we had to memorize like the first third of that for class. the way I memorized it was to write the entire thing (well, up to where we could stop ) over and over until I could write it without having to look. I did that for hamlet's monologue too, and that took forever since I did the whole thing xD

[Araciel]

Holden's speech from Chasing Amy was the one I did...it's easy to outshine Affleck at acting so yea.

[Resha]

I think this is a pretty cool and famous one and easy to remember, too.

Originally Posted by Oh, Romeo:

ROMEO: But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou her maid art far more fair than she.
Be not her maid, since she is envious.
Her vestal livery is but sick and green,
And none but fools do wear it. Cast it off.
It is my lady; O, it is my love!
O that she knew she were!
She speaks, yet she says nothing. What of that?
Her eye discourses; I will answer it.
I am too bold; 'tis not to me she speaks.
Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,
Having some business, do entreat her eyes
To twinkle in their spheres till they return.
What if her eyes were there, they in her head?
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars
As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven
Would through the airy region stream so bright
That birds would sing and think it were not night.
See how she leans her cheek upon her hand!
O that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!

If it were not so specifically a monologue, I'd say do Marc Antony's speech at Caesar's funeral. FRIENDS, ROMANS, COUNTRYMEN...LEND ME YOUR EARS. And you could do it Marlon Brando-esque as well xD

[Del Murder]

I had to memorize the Romeo one before. It was easy.