Soliloquies are when a character speaks their inner thoughts aloud when alone, while monologues are speeches addressed to other characters or an audience. In a soliloquy, the character is only addressing themselves, while a monologue has an internal or external audience. Examples provided are Hamlet's famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy and a monologue from Doctor Faustus where he pleads for more time before his soul is damned.

1. Difference between Soliloquy and
Monologue
 Hema Goswami
 Sem-1
 Paper-1: The Renaissance Literature
 Submitted to Department of English
MKBU
 Enrollment no. 2069108420180020
 Roll no. 15
 Email id-
hemagoswami474@gmail.com
 Year 2017-2019

2. Soliloquy
A soliloquy is a device in which a character speaks to
himself or herself. It is related to thoughts and
feelings. In soliloquy an actors speak only when alone,
or when they believe they are alone

3. Monologue
Monologue is a speech presented by a single
character most often to express their mental
thoughts aloud and it is directly address to
another character or the audience.

4. ONE SINGLE CHARACTER
Speaks to himself/herself
Speaks to other or
audience
LITERARY DEVICES
Soliloquy Monologue
MAIN GENRE
Drama

5. Difference
Soliloquy
The character is
addressing him
or herself
No audience
except the
audience sitting
in the theatre
Monologue
One character
addresses other
characters
There can be two
types of audience;
the real and an
audience within the
play

6. Monologue by Doctor Faustus
“or let this hour be but
A year, a month, a
week, a natural day,
That Faustus may repent
and save his soul!
O lente, lente currite,
noctis equi!”
• https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=rB-yPMnc2wQ
The monologue spoken
by Doctor Faustus in the
last scene;

7. Soliloquy by Prince Hamlet
https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=SjuZq-8PUw0
Famous soliloquy by
hamlet:
• “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”

8. Monologue and soliloquy by Amitabh
Bachchan
Soliloquy (Amar akbar anthony)
https://youtu.be/xd_3d2Mukq
8
Monologue ( Baghban)
• https://youtu.be/xH-
3eaICyX8

9. Funny Interpretation through images
Monologue Soliloquy