Question

What is a type of monologue in which a character directly addresses an audience or speaks their thoughts aloud while alone or while the other actors keep silent?

1) Soliloquy
2) Monologue
3) Dialogue
4) Dramatic monologue

Answer 1

A soliloquy is a speech where a character speaks their thoughts aloud while alone or while other actors are silent, directly addressing the audience, unlike a monologue or dialogue.

Step-by-step explanation:

The type of monologue in which a character directly addresses an audience or speaks their thoughts aloud while alone, or while the other actors keep silent, is known as a soliloquy. This is distinct from a simple monologue, where one character may deliver a speech to other characters on stage, and dialogue, which involves a conversation between two or more characters.

A soliloquy allows the character to express their inner thoughts, feelings, and plans to the audience. This technique gives the audience insight into a character's mind and helps to advance the plot and develop the character's personality. In contrast, a dramatic monologue is a speech given by a single character that does not necessarily require the character to be alone on stage.

For example, in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, the title character's "To be, or not to be..." speech is a famous soliloquy, revealing his internal conflict and existential thoughts to the audience, while he is alone on stage.