Rosalind Monologue (Act 3, Scene 5)
Let’s take a look at one of Rosalind’s monologues from As You Like It. Rosalind is a great character to explore and only gets more fun throughout the play as she takes full flight. Rosalind...
Monologues Unpacked
Working on a Shakespeare monologue? Here’s our database of Shakespearean monologues that we’ve broken down, translated and explained. We’ve done all the hard work for you!
Get stuck into many of Shakespeare’s iconic monologues and learn how to truly bring them to life. These pages are all broken down by professional actors, who in many cases have played the roles. The monologues unpacked team includes Damien Strouthos, Jess Tovey and Andrew Hearle.
Phoebe Monologue Act 3 Scene 5
This monologue from As You Like It is a classic! It’s funny, clever and a really strong choice for auditions. What I love about it is how contemporary it feels. Phoebe, sounds like every stroppy,...
Bottom Monologue (Act 4, Scene 1)
Let’s take a look at one of Bottom’s monologues from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is probably one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated texts, and for good reason. It’s a lively, fantastical, and...
Lady Anne Monologue (Act 1, Scene 2)
Allow me to start unpacking this monologue by paraphrasing a quote from George Bernard Shaw. Shaw wrote that a key to good drama was to take two characters who should never meet, and figure out...
King Claudius Monologue (Act 3, Scene 3)
Two powerful forces of storytelling operate in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: ambiguity and contradiction. For the first three acts of this play the audience has been going along for the ride with Hamlet, wondering whether or not...
Portia Monologue (Act 2, Scene 1) “Nor for yours neither.”
Shakespeare reminds us time and time again of the importance of clear communication in a healthy marriage. Had Othello spoken calmly and candidly to Desdemona, perhaps the story would’ve ended up differently. Had Julius Caesar...
Juliet Monologue (Act 2, Scene 2) “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”
Next to ‘To be or not to be’, this line has got to be Shakespeare’s most famous line in all his plays. Yet, for so simple a line, it is so frequently misunderstood and misrepresented...
Juliet Monologue (Act 2, Scene 2) “Thou knowest the mask of night…”
Let’s look at a monologue from the heart of the famous ‘balcony scene’ in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. We’ve already had two of Shakespeare’s most famous lines said in this scene, from Romeo’s “But soft,...
Tamora Monologue: Titus Andronicus Act 2 Scene 3
Titus Andronicus is one of, if not the most bloody and violent of Shakespeare’s plays. There are many murders and executions, and (spoiler alert) a few people are cooked into a pie and fed to...
Beatrice Monologue: Much Ado About Nothing Act 3 Scene 1
You know how when you’re bored, you play fun pranks on your friends by convincing them that they’re in love with each other by gossiping? But then they actually DO fall in love with each...