Monologue

The monologue is an extended utterance of a single character, addressed to himself, to other characters, to the spectator, or to the reader, as opposed to dialogue as an exchange of remarks. In drama the monologue reveals the hero's inner world, his reflections, intentions, and spiritual struggle; it may be a form of self-analysis or a programmatic statement of ideas. Classic examples are the philosophical monologues of Shakespeare's Hamlet ('To be or not to be'), in which the hero contemplates being, death, and the meaning of action. In Ukrainian dramaturgy deep monologues reveal the unbreakable spirit of Lesia Ukrainka's heroines (the monologues of Mavka in The Forest Song, of Dolores, of Cassandra), as well as the spiritual movements of Mykola Kulish's characters. In lyric, the very nature of the lyric hero's utterance is monologic. The monologue is an important means of the psychological and ideational characterization of a character, allowing his inner world and worldview position to be directly manifested.