Make your own Google Docs copy of this guide after you click on this link. Or copy the text below and paste it into a Word or Google document.
On your copy, work on one paragraph at a time. Read through the whole paragraph, then replace what’s in the <red angle brackets> with your own thoughts and details. Notice that there are links in purple to these four lists: 99 Adjectives to Describe Any Book | Emotions Color Wheel | Sample Character Traits | Literary Device, Technique or Element.
For my monologue project, I selected lines from one of the most <Click this link and choose an adjective to describe literature> scenes from <Playwright’s Name>’s play, “<Title of Play>.” I chose to learn Act <#>, Scene <#>, lines <##>–<##> as my monologue because <explain what this monologue makes clear about one of the characters.>
The monologue consists of <the main character / a minor character / the protagonist / the antagonist… >, <Name of the Character> speaking to <another character / other characters> about what is <troubling / infuriating / delighting / scaring / inspiring / confusing / upsetting… > <him /her / them>. This monologue is heard by <describe who heard these words in the play.> The monologue takes place in <Where does the monologue happen?>. This is important because <explain what makes this place significant>, and this makes <Name of Character in the monologue> feel <Click this link and choose a strong adjective describing emotions>.
The main conflict in this scene would most likely be <describe the big idea, or the general, philosophical, psychological, ethical, political, religious… point that the playwright is making in this monologue and scene.> I say this because of <describe the way his character has been acting in play up to the point of the monologue>. <Name of Character in the monologue> starts to feel <Click this link and choose a strong adjective describing emotions–different from the one a few sentences above> for what <he / she> has done. This is part of a pattern for <Name of Character> where <describe more things that happened to this character and how this fits what, in general, is happening to the character.> Over time this builds up to be a <main / minor> conflict in the story of <Name of Character in the monologue>.
In the scene where this monologue occurs, <Name of Character> is quite a <Click this link and choose an adjective showing a character trait>> character. This is especially true after <describe a turning point in this scene>. <Name of Character> becomes <Click this link and choose more specific adjective showing another character trait> and <Click again and choose a third adjective showing another character trait>. This seems <contradictory to / consistent with> <his / her> previous state of mind earlier in the play.
In the monologue, words like “<copy words from the monologue>,” as well as the word choice in the sentence “<copy a sentence from the monologue>” reflect that <Name of Character> is committed to <describe, with some detail, exactly what this character is obsessed with doing, as reflected in the words and sentences you quoted>. The words “<Copy another phrase from the monologue here.>” represents the feeling of <Click this link to choose an adjective showing a character trait> that <Name of Character> is experiencing after <describe an action the character has taken> contributing to <his / her > overall <describe the character’s mental, psychological, spiritual, philosophical, emotional… mental state at this point, in this scene in the play.>
If it was up to me to stage this scene, I would most likely make the actors playing <Character or characters in the scene> <stand, sit, walk…> in a <describe the place> in order to set the mood of <What feelings do you want your viewers to see>. This might represent <Character in the monologue>‘s feelings of <Click this link and choose an adjective showing a character trait> after <he / she> realizes that <describe what this character seems to understand at this point in the play or in this scene>. I would also add some props to the scene, for <Name of Character> to perhaps <describe what he / she might do with the props> in order to show <Click this link to choose another adjective showing a character trait> after <he / she> <describe an important event that makes him / her feel this way>. If I were to direct the actors, then I would most likely encourage <Character’s Name> to be a bit <Click this link and choose another adjective showing a character trait>, and give off a feeling of being <Click this link and choose a strong adjective describing emotions> in an effort to make his character believable.
In this monologue, <Playwright’s Name> used certain poetic elements to enhance the emotion being portrayed in the scene. As I mentioned before, the main theme in this scene would be the <describe the big idea, or the general, philosophical, psychological, ethical, political, religious… point that the playwright is making in this monologue and scene.> and the use of poetic elements really reinforces the impact of <Name of Character>‘s emotions. For example, <Playwright> used <Click this link and choose a literary device, technique, or element> as a feature in his writing to provide <describe the effect of the literary element you have identified>, as well as <describe another effect of the literary element.>
All in all, the monologue in Act <#>, Scene <#> is a prime example of an effective piece of writing by <Playwright’s Name> that <summarize some of the points you have made above about why this monologue is effective and how it impacts readers.>
