Question

CHARACTERS:

CHARLIE
DION
CAMERON
DESIREE
BRENDA
SHAYNA
EXTRAS

SETTING: In a school hallway before the first class of the day. Dion and Cameron are standing by their lockers discussing football.

DION: We are in great shape this season. I think we’ll go all the way to the state finals.
CAMERON: Yeah, buddy. You are an awesome quarterback. Keep that arm healthy, and we’ll definitely make it to state!
CHARLIE: (Wearing his leather jacket, he walks up to Dion and Cameron.) Hey guys! Check this out. (pulls out a bottle of Attract Cologne and sprays it on the inside of his jacket) The ladies are gonna go wild for me today!
DION: Oh really. Let’s see if it works. Go over there and try it out on Desiree Finestein. (He nods his head toward a girl getting books out of her locker.)
CHARLIE: Okay. No problem. She’s gonna melt. (He strides over to Desiree and puts his hand on the locker next to hers with his arm outstretched.) Hello, Desiree. How you doin'?
DESIREE: (turns around to face Charlie) Fine. Now move so I can get to class. (She doesn’t give Charlie time to say anything else. She ducks under his arm and quickly walks away.)
CHARLIE: (talking to himself) That’s odd. This cologne says it attracts women—not subtracts them. I must not be wearing enough. I bet Desiree couldn’t smell it. A few more squirts and I’ll be attracting the ladies like mud attracts pigs. (He pulls the cologne out of his jacket pocket and sprays it all over his clothes, neck, and wrists. He uses about half of the bottle.)
DION: It looks as if Charlie didn’t do so well with Desiree.
CAMERON: She took off like lightning. Oh look, he’s trying it again with Brenda Heartsmith. This will be classic.
CHARLIE: (walks over to Brenda and her friend Shayna) Hello, ladies. How are you two fine young women doing today? (He puts his hands in his front pockets, fans open his jacket with his arms, and twists from side to side to spread his scent.) If you’re not doing anything exciting after school, you should come over to my place.
BRENDA: Ewww! What’s that smell?
SHAYNA: It smells like a dead skunk!
CHARLIE: I think you ladies need to get a little closer to me so you can get a good whiff of my cologne. It will make you forget about dead skunks. (He moves toward Brenda and Shayna.)
BRENDA: Oh gross! Charlie, that smell is coming from YOU!
SHAYNA: Come on, Brenda! Let’s get out of here! (Shayna grabs Brenda’s arm and leads her away from Charlie.)
CHARLIE: (talking to himself again) I just don’t get it. Why isn’t it working? There must be something wrong with this bottle of cologne. I’ll go back to Discount Drugstore and exchange this cologne for a new bottle. (Dion and Cameron walk over to Charlie.)
DION: So what happened? Did you get a date?
CHARLIE: Ummm. Brenda said she’d think about it. I played it cool. I can’t come on too strong—my cologne is already overpowering enough.
CAMERON: You can say that again.
DION: We should get to class before the bell rings. (Dion, Cameron, and Charlie exit stage left. Several other students exit stage right.)

How do Charlie's soliloquies contribute to the overall plot?
A. They show what Charlie is thinking and why he is acting the way he is.
B. They add suspense by making the audience guess what Charlie will do next.
C. They contrast Charlie with his friends Dion and Cameron.
D. They let the other characters know how Charlie feels

Answer 1

Charlie's soliloquies contribute to the overall plot by showing what he is thinking and why he continues to act as he does, even when his actions have poor results. They give insight into his character and his comically flawed understanding of the situation.

Step-by-step explanation:

Charlie's soliloquies are critical in revealing his thought process and reasons behind his actions in the script. They provide insight into his character, allowing the audience to understand Charlie's misguided confidence and his inability to recognize the actual effect of the cologne. Option A is correct; these monologues give a direct window into Charlie's thoughts, showing how he rationalizes the situation and plans his next steps, despite the obvious signs that his approach is not working. He mistakenly believes that by applying more cologne, he will become more attractive to the girls, which is humorously far from the truth.