What is a Soliloquy? Definition & Examples from Plays & Film

Reading Time: 11 minutes

Published: July 9, 2024 | Last Updated: April 25, 2026

Overview

Definition: A soliloquy is a moment where a character speaks their private thoughts out loud while they are alone or unobserved.

What you’ve seen before: You have watched a character step away from everyone else, then talk through fear, doubt, or a plan with no one on screen responding.

Example: In a film adaptation of Hamlet, the prince stands alone and speaks directly about his biggest question about living and dying. The scene works because the words are not aimed at another character in the room, so you treat it as access to his inner life, not a conversation.

Why it matters: A soliloquy changes how you stage the scene, because you must keep it believable that no one hears, interrupts, or reacts. It also changes how you cover it, because close framing, stillness, and clean sound make the thoughts feel intimate. In your script, it can carry information fast, but it must still feel like a real person thinking, not a speech written for the plot.

• Key takeaway 1: Make the character truly alone, or clearly unobserved, so the moment reads as private thought.
• Key takeaway 2: Write it as a decision in progress, with a problem, a pressure point, and a choice forming.
• Key takeaway 3: Shoot it with simple coverage and controlled sound so the words stay clear and personal.

Next, let’s lock down the fast test: who can hear the words inside the story world. That is what separates a soliloquy from a monologue or an aside.

A soliloquy stands out because of who the words are for. The character is not trying to change another character’s mind. They are trying to make sense of a problem while you listen in. That is why the moment plays like inner conflict made audible, not a speech.

That is why soliloquies often show up at turning points. You tend to see them right before betrayal, revenge, confession, or any choice that the character cannot undo. The soliloquy slows time down long enough for us to understand what the character wants, what they fear, and what they are about to do anyway.

Soliloquy meaning in literature

In literature and drama, a soliloquy is a speech that lets the audience “overhear” a character’s private thoughts. It’s less about telling the plot and more about revealing what’s happening inside the character, such as doubt, desire, guilt, rationalization, fear, or decision-making in real time.

A key detail: a soliloquy is usually written so the character is effectively alone, even if other characters are physically nearby on stage. In other words, it’s not meant to be heard by anyone in the story world. The audience becomes the character’s silent witness, which creates intimacy and often builds dramatic irony, because we know what the character truly thinks even when other characters do not.

In prose fiction, you’ll sometimes see soliloquy-like moments through interior monologue or a first-person narrator. But in plays (and play-like film scenes), the soliloquy is a direct and deliberate dramatic device: it turns inner life into spoken language.

Etymology of soliloquy

The word “soliloquy” comes from Latin roots meaning “to speak alone.” That origin points to what makes a soliloquy distinct: it’s speech that functions like thought, spoken out loud for the audience’s benefit.

Over time, the term became closely associated with stage drama, especially in traditions where playwrights needed a clean way to expose a character’s inner conflict without another character present. That’s why soliloquies often show up at turning points: moments of temptation, uncertainty, moral struggle, or resolve.

Even in modern storytelling (where you can use close-ups, voiceover, or visual symbolism), the core idea remains the same: soliloquy is a technique for making private psychology public.

Characteristics of a soliloquy

A soliloquy usually has most (or all) of these characteristics:

• The audience can hear it; other characters can’t. The speech isn’t meant to be “overheard” inside the story world.
• It reveals inner life. The focus is feelings, motives, secrets, or moral reasoning, not just narration.
• It happens at a meaningful moment. Soliloquies often appear before a decision, after a shock, or during a crisis.
• It clarifies stakes and desire. We learn what the character wants, fears, or plans.
• It can create dramatic irony. The audience knows the truth while other characters remain unaware.
• It has a distinct “private voice.” Even if the character speaks eloquently, it feels like unfiltered thinking.

If you’re deciding whether a passage is truly a soliloquy, the “who can hear it?” question is often the fastest test.

Function of soliloquy in drama

Soliloquies serve some important dramatic functions:

1. Character revelation: They expose contradictions, such as what a character says publicly versus what they believe privately.
2. Decision-making on display: The audience watches the character reason, rationalize, or spiral toward a choice.
3. Tension and suspense: When we learn a character’s secret plan, the scene gains forward momentum.
4. Theme and philosophy: Soliloquies can articulate the story’s central questions, e.g., questions about justice, ambition, love, mortality, or identity.
5. Emotional intimacy: They create closeness. The audience becomes the confidant.

In short, a soliloquy is a dramatic shortcut that stays believable. Instead of explaining the character from the outside, the scene lets you hear the decision form in real time, with all the doubt and self-justification still in it.

Mini checklist: Is this a soliloquy? (3 criteria)

Use this quick checklist to decide whether a speech qualifies as a soliloquy:

1. Isolation test: Is the character effectively alone (physically or psychologically) in the moment of speaking?
2. Audience-only test: Is the speech meant for the audience, not for other characters to hear or respond to?
3. Inner-life test: Does it reveal private thought, conflict, desire, or decision-making (not just information)?

If you answer “yes” to all three, you’re almost certainly looking at a soliloquy.

If other characters clearly hear it and can reply, it’s more likely a monologue delivered to someone. If it’s a quick “to-the-audience” comment while others remain present, it may be an aside.

Famous Soliloquies from Plays

Before we discuss examples from movies, I want to include a couple of soliloquies from famous plays. I’ve picked examples that have been adapted into several movies, though.

In classical theatre, a soliloquy usually does three jobs:

• Revealing internal conflict by letting us hear thoughts the character cannot say out loud to anyone else.
• Clarifying motivation by showing the reasons behind a decision before the character commits to it.
• Creating dramatic irony by giving us information that other characters do not have, so we watch the next scene with extra tension.

Below are famous soliloquies, and why they qualify as soliloquies (who can hear them, the intent, and the stage technique).

Hamlet (1603), by William Shakespeare

We can’t mention soliloquy without mentioning William Shakespeare. From Macbeth to Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare was a master of soliloquy.

The most famous example of a soliloquy is Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be” speech from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Here’s an excerpt:

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep…

– Hamlet

• Who can hear it? The audience; it functions as a private thought.
• Intent: Philosophical self-interrogation expressing fear, depression, uncertainty, and the paralysis of choice.
• Technique: The character is staged as alone (or isolated), turning the audience into confidants.

In this soliloquy, Hamlet contemplates the nature of existence and whether it is better to live and suffer or to end one’s life and face the unknown after death.

Macbeth (1606), by William Shakespeare

Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.

• Who can hear it? The audience, not a speech to another character.
• Intent: Externalizes guilt and temptation as Macbeth approaches a point of no return.
• Technique: Vivid imagery makes internal turmoil feel physically present on stage.

… and here’s another example from that same play:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow…

• Who can hear it? The audience; it’s not designed as a conversation.
• Intent: A collapse into nihilism, showing what ambition has hollowed out.
• Technique: Slow, reflective cadence; the world pauses to let psychology take the foreground.

Richard III (c. 1592–1594), by William Shakespeare

Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And all the clouds that lour’d upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.

• Who can hear it? The audience.
• Intent: Self-definition and strategy (Richard reveals his worldview and plans.)
• Technique: Direct, persuasive address that builds complicity: we’re pulled into his mind.

Why these are useful models: each one makes a private engine (fear, ambition, despair, manipulation) visible, without needing another character to “ask the right questions.”

Soliloquies from musicals and film adaptations

Soliloquy also appears in musicals and film adaptations. A good example is the film adaptation of the musical Les Misérables.

Les Misérables (musical), “What Have I Done?”

Victor Hugo’s classic novel about Jean Valjean, imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread, follows his life of compassion and contribution after his release.

It’s been adapted several times into movies, plays, musicals, and more. In the musical adaptation, Jean Valjean sings “What Have I Done?” at a turning point, right after mercy forces him to face what he has become and what he could choose instead.

What have I done?

– Valjean

• Who can hear it? The audience. Inside the story world, it plays as private thought made audible.
• Intent: A moral reset. Valjean argues with himself until the new decision wins.
• Technique: The scene isolates him and holds long enough for the choice to form.

How Soliloquies Work in Film

Film rarely allows characters to stand alone on a stage and speak uninterrupted, so filmmakers adapt the soliloquy using cinematic tools rather than theatrical convention.

In film, a soliloquy isn’t defined by silence around the character, but by psychological isolation. Even in crowded scenes, a character can experience a soliloquy if the film clearly separates their inner voice from the world around them.

Let’s look at how soliloquies most often appear in movies:

Monologue

Sometimes, soliloquies manifest as monologues either internally or more explicitly. Read more about monologues in What is a Monologue?

Here’s a famous example you probably know by heart:

In Taxi Driver (1976), the protagonist, Travis Bickle, does this famous soliloquy that shows his descent into madness. Besides, the movie has several voiceover monologues that provide insight into his increasingly disturbed mind.

• Who can hear it? The audience only.
• Intent: Tracks a mind tightening into obsession and alienation.
• Technique translation: Voiceover replaces stage speech; the “alone on stage” feeling is created through isolation in framing and sound.

You might like 1-minute monologues for auditions.

Travis’s diary voice-overs function as modern soliloquies. As he drives through New York at night, his internal monologue exposes alienation, moral confusion, and growing instability. The audience understands his descent long before his actions make it visible.

Voiceover Narration

A character’s thoughts are sometimes conveyed through voiceover, providing insight into their internal state while showing related visuals. This technique is frequently used in film noir and other genres.

Here’s an example from American Psycho (2000), where the protagonist, Patrick Bateman, frequently provides voiceover narration that reveals his inner thoughts and sociopathic tendencies.

Direct Address

Occasionally, characters break the fourth wall and speak directly to the audience, effectively delivering a soliloquy. This method is often seen in comedies and some dramas.

A good example is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), where Ferris often breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the camera, sharing his thoughts and plans with the audience.

• Who can hear it? The audience; other characters behave as if it never happened.
• Intent: Builds intimacy and complicity, like sharing a secret with the viewer.
• Technique translation: Breaking the fourth wall becomes the modern “audience-confidant” channel.

Ferris’s direct-to-camera addresses operate like comedic soliloquies. Though playful, they give the audience exclusive access to his worldview while other characters remain unaware, reinforcing his role as both protagonist and narrator.

Soliloquy-like moments in film

Instead of spoken words, a character’s inner thoughts and emotions are conveyed through visual imagery, body language, and facial expressions, sometimes accompanied by music or sound effects.

Here’s an example from Sherlock Holmes (2009), where Holmes is under the influence of drugs while he tries to reason his way through the case. The film uses fast cutting, selective close-ups, and flashbacks to replay small details and connections, so you experience his thought process in the moment instead of hearing him explain it later.

The sequence turns deduction into a private moment by making you follow the chain of thoughts step by step.

The Sherlock TV series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman sometimes does this via CGI, where letters, numbers, and other motion graphics show how Sherlock is thinking.

Another good example is Lost in Translation (2003), which uses wordless interiority as a form of visual soliloquy.

• Who can hear it? No one, sometimes not even the character, can articulate it.
• Intent: Communicates longing and disconnection without exposition.
• Technique translation: Instead of speech, film uses silence, performance, pacing, and lingering shots to express inner life.

Important distinction: Not every voiceover is a soliloquy. If the narration is mainly summarizing events or explaining the plot, it’s closer to “narration.” It becomes soliloquy-like when it reveals private conflict, motives, or decision-making that other characters cannot access.

The Difference Between Soliloquy, Monologue, and Aside

Soliloquy is often confused with monologue or aside, but each serves a different dramatic purpose.

Soliloquy

• Spoken when the character is alone (or believes they are alone)
• Reveals private thoughts or moral conflict
• Other characters do not hear it
• Example: Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be” speech

Monologue

• Delivered to other characters or an audience within the story
• Often persuasive, explanatory, or confrontational
• Can be public or private
• Example: A courtroom speech or emotional confession

Aside

• A brief comment made directly to the audience
• Often used for humor or irony
• The scene continues as if other characters cannot hear it

The key difference is who the speech is for.
A soliloquy is inward-facing. A monologue is outward-facing. An aside briefly breaks the flow to let the audience in on a secret.

	Soliloquy	Monologue	Aside
Who hears it?	Audience only	Other characters (and audience)	Audience only
Length	Extended speech	Extended speech	Brief comment (1–3 lines)
Character alone?	Yes (or believes so)	Not necessarily	No — others are present
Purpose	Reveal inner conflict or private thought	Persuade, explain, confront, or confess	Share a secret or ironic comment with the audience
Classic example	Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be”	Atticus Finch’s courtroom closing	Ferris Bueller’s camera winks

How to write a soliloquy (3 tips)

If you’re writing your own soliloquy, these three tips keep it dramatic (not “information dump”):

1. Start with a pressure point.
   Put the character at a moment of conflict: temptation, fear, grief, doubt, or decision. Soliloquies work best when something is at stake right now.
2. Let the character contradict themselves.
   Real inner talk is messy. Give the audience a push-pull: desire vs. duty, love vs. pride, courage vs. self-preservation. That tension is the engine.
3. End with motion, i.e., a choice, a plan, or a shift.
   The soliloquy should change something: a decision hardens, a belief breaks, a secret becomes a plan. Even if the character remains uncertain, the audience should feel momentum.

Bonus craft note: write it like thought, then revise it like speech. The best soliloquies feel intimate but still sound performable.

Why soliloquies still work in modern scripts

Even with close-ups, coverage, and editing, you still need a clean way to show private reasoning on screen. A soliloquy solves that by letting you hear the thought process at the exact moment a character is stuck, tempted, scared, or about to choose.

In film, that usually means voiceover, self-talk, or direct address. Used well, it makes the character’s decision feel earned because you understand the fear or logic behind it before the scene turns.

Summing Up

A soliloquy is a literary device often used in drama, in which characters speak to themselves, expressing their inner thoughts and feelings aloud.

Soliloquies are usually delivered while the character is alone on stage or believes they are alone, and it is not intended to be heard by other characters in the play.

In film, they are adapted to the medium and can use other visual or auditory effects. However, their purpose remains: to provide insight into a character’s motivations, thoughts, and emotions and allow playwrights to convey complex internal conflicts and developments to the audience.