'Now I am alone,' says Hamlet before speaking a soliloquy. But what is a Shakespearean soliloquy? How has it been understood in literary and theatrical history? How does it work in screen versions of Shakespeare? What influence has it had? Neil Corcoran offers a thorough exploration and explanation of the origin, nature, development and reception of Shakespeare's soliloquies. Divided into four parts, the book supplies the historical, dramatic and theoretical contexts necessary to understanding, offers extensive and insightful close readings of particular soliloquies and includes interviews with eight renowned Shakespearean actors providing details of the practical performance of the soliloquy. A comprehensive study of a key aspect of Shakespeare's dramatic art, this book is ideal for students and theatre-goers keen to understand the complexities and rewards of Shakespeare's unique use of the soliloquy.

Twenty-seven soliloquies are examined in this work, illustrating how the spectator or reader is led to the soliloquy and how the drama is continued afterwards.

Your one-stop classical workshop! At last, over 175 of Shakespeare's finest and most performable monologues taken from all thirty-seven plays are here in two easy-to-use volumes (Men and Women). Selections travel the entire spectrum of the great dramatist's vision, from comedies, wit and romances, to tragedies, pathos and histories.

The Shakespearean Inside is a study of all soliloquies and solo asides (dubbed "e;insides"e; for short) in Shakespeare's complete plays. The first step in the research process was the creation of the Shakespearean Inside Database (SID) where these speeches were annotated according to variables of genuine literary interest (such as act, dramatic subgenre, probable time of composition, dramatic speech acts, selected figures of speech, and character attributes such as gender and class). Such comprehensive and detailed data makes it possible to generalize dependably about Shakespeare's authorial habits, and, by extension, to identify situations where the author departs in interesting ways from his habitual practices. The monograph uses these broad patterns and significant exceptions as a backdrop for fresh interpretations of various Shakespeare plays (from early works such as The Taming of the Shrew and The Two Gentlemen of Verona to mature tragedies like Hamlet and late plays like The Tempest and The Two Noble Kinsmen).

The most comprehensive sourcebook of Shakespeare's monologues ever available in one volume. A detailed guide to approaching Shakespearean text, Speak the Speech! contains everything an actor needs to select and prepare a Shakespeare monologue for classwork, auditions, or performance. Included herein are over 150 monologues. Each one is placed in context with a brief introduction, is carefully punctuated in the manner that best illustrates its meaning, and is painstakingly and thoroughly annotated. Each is also accompanied by commentary that will spark the actor's imagination by exploring how the interrelationship of meter and the choice of words and sounds yields clues to character and performance. And throughout the book sidebars relate historical, topical, technical, and other useful and entertaining information relevant to the text. In addition, the authors include an overview of poetic and rhetorical elements, brief synopses of all the plays, and a comprehensive index along with other guidelines that will help readers locate the perfect monologue for their needs. More than just an actor's toolkit, Speak the Speech! is also an entertaining resource that will help demystify Shakespeare's language for the student and theater lover alike.

Presents a collective study of all of Shakespeare's soliloquies by defining the soliloquy, classifying the soliloquies and presenting them as revelations of thought and feeling.

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0, University of Vechta, language: English, abstract: William Shakespeare ́s ́Hamlet ́ is of great cultural significance. It was published around 1600/1601, marking the transition from the 16th to the 17th century. It reflects upon spiritual and cultural conflicts of the Elizabethan period more intensively than any other literary work. It includes a variety of philosophical, theological, political, literary and general references. With Hamlet, a new form of interiority is born, "the sense of being inside a character ́s psyche and following it ́s twists and turns." This interiority is predominantly shown to the audience by the use of soliloquies. Shakespeare ́s lifework includes a great variety of soliloquies. Hamlet is commonly associated with one phrase: ́to be or not to be`. In this work, I am going to give an overview of Hamlet ́s soliloquies, concentrating on `to be or not to be ́. Before that, I am going to briefly explain the difference between soliloquy and monologue.

Curated from the Applause three-volume series, Once More unto the Speech, Dear Friends, edited by Neil Freeman, these monologue from Shakespeare's works are given new life and purpose for today’s readers and actors alike. There are twelve titles in this series, which is divided into four categories: monologues for younger men, monologues for older men, monologues for women, and monologues for any gender, the latter being a unique feature since most monologue books are compiled for either men or women. Each book is presented in a smaller format that is more consistent with standard monologue books. Titles in the series: Monologues from Shakespeare's First Folio for Any Gender: The Comedies Monologues from Shakespeare's First Folio for Any Gender: The Histories Monologues from Shakespeare's First Folio for Any Gender: The Tragedies Monologues from Shakespeare's First Folio for Women: The Comedies Monologues from Shakespeare's First Folio for Women: The Histories Monologues from Shakespeare's First Folio for Women: The Tragedies Monologues from Shakespeare's First Folio for Younger Men: The Comedies Monologues from Shakespeare's First Folio for Younger Men: The Histories Monologues from Shakespeare's First Folio for Younger Men: The Tragedies Monologues from Shakespeare's First Folio for Older Men: The Comedies Monologues from Shakespeare's First Folio for Older Men: The Histories Monologues from Shakespeare's First Folio for Older Men: The Tragedies

(Applause Books). Your one-stop classical workshop! At last, over 175 of Shakespeare's finest and most performable monologues taken from all thirty-seven plays are here in two easy-to-use volumes (Men and Women). Selections travel the entire spectrum of the great dramatist's vision, from comedies, wit and romances, to tragedies, pathos and histories. Soliloquy! is an excellent and comprehensive collection of Shakespeare's speeches. Not only are the monologues wide-ranging and varied, but they are superbly annotated. Each volume is prefaced by an informative and reassuring introduction, which explains the signals and signposts by which Shakespeare helps the actor on his journey through the text. It includes a very good explanation of blank verse, with excellent examples of irregularities which are specifically related to character and acting intentions. These two books are a must for any actor in search of a 'classical' audition piece.' Elizabeth Smith, Voice Director, Juilliard

This superlative collection offers timeless speeches from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, and more.