Monologue is the name given to a speech made by only one person, without interaction with other participants and uninterruptedly.
The monologue is a type of discourse present mainly in oratory and theater studies.
The monologue consists of a dialogue between a certain person and himself, always talking to his “self” or, in some cases, addressing the audience present.
The comic monologue, also known as stand up comedy, is another example where the protagonist presents a single speech, without the participation of other people throughout his speech.
Learn more about the meaning of Stand Up Comedy.
Etymologically, the word monologue originated from the junction of two Greek elements: monos, which means "one" or "single", and logos, relative to “idea” or “word”.
Therefore, the literal meaning of monologue would be precisely “word of one”.
Indoor and outdoor monologue
When talking about theatrical monologue, it can be subdivided into two main categories: the Exterior Monologue and the Interior Monologue.
O outdoor monologue that's when the actor speaks, addressing his audience, as the interior monologue (most popular in theatrical performances) consists of the character's reflection with himself. This last type of monologue is also known as a soliloquy.
The soliloquies seek to explore the psychological state of the character played by the author, since this questions their own feelings, mirroring situations that all people experience in their interior.