WordValesoliloquy
a speech revealing a character's thoughts, spoken alone
a speech revealing a character's thoughts, spoken alone
In more detail
1. (noun) a speech in a play where a character speaks their thoughts aloud when alone, so the audience can hear what they are thinking
2. (noun) an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when alone in real life
Examples
- 1. In Hamlet's most famous soliloquy, he questions whether life is worth living.
- 2. She went into a soliloquy about her regrets while sitting alone in her room.
How to use soliloquy
Soliloquy is primarily a literary and dramatic term, referring to a character's uninterrupted speech revealing inner thoughts, most famously in Shakespeare. In everyday speech, it's used more rarely and somewhat formally to describe someone speaking their thoughts aloud when alone. It differs from a monologue in that a soliloquy is specifically meant to reveal hidden thoughts to an audience, whereas a monologue can simply be one person speaking.
Common phrases
- deliver a soliloquy
- famous soliloquy
- Hamlet's soliloquy
- soliloquy on stage
- break into soliloquy
Synonyms
monologue · aside · internal dialogue · stream of consciousness
Opposites
dialogue · conversation
Word family
soliloquist · soliloquize
A common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse soliloquy with monologue; remember that soliloquy specifically involves thoughts meant for the audience when a character appears to be alone, while monologue is simply one person speaking continuously, often to others.
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