Soliloquy

A soliloquy is a speech in a play by a character who is alone on stage, or believes they are. It reveals their private thoughts and feelings directly to the audience. No other characters hear a soliloquy, so it is understood as honest.

It gives the audience access to a character's true motives, doubts and plans. It slows the action to explore an inner state, and it builds intimacy and understanding between character and audience. Soliloquies are a defining feature of much classic drama and a rich source of insight into character and theme.

In Literature, especially with plays, analysing a soliloquy lets you discuss a character's inner life and motives with confidence. The speech is taken as sincere. Explore what a soliloquy reveals about a character's conflict or plans, and how its language conveys their state of mind.

Examiners reward this. It is often the clearest window a play offers into why a character acts as they do.

A character alone on stage, weighing whether to confess a mistake, might voice both their guilt and their fear of punishment. The audience shares the struggle.

Note that the character is alone and speaking their private thoughts. Then treat the speech as an honest guide to their motives and feelings. Analyse the language for signs of conflict, doubt or decision.

Explain how it deepens the audience's understanding, and distinguish it from an aside, which is a much shorter, quieter remark.

You may also find writing formats and annotated model responses useful. Next, visit our skills guides for IGCSE English to see terms like this used in real answers. Our IGCSE English tuition page explains how lessons run. When you are ready, the paid one-hour trial is the first step.