How to Write a Historical Monologue

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Writing a monologue, a long speech spoken by only one actor in a play or movie, is a challenging writing activity. However, the challenge becomes even more intriguing when you create a character from a particular historical era.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

How to Write a Historical Monologue

Step1

Begin by reading at least a dozen examples of historical monologues. These might be speeches from plays or simply longer passages from historical novels. Read these aloud to give you some sense of how the time period infuses itself into the character’s words. Here are four which, even out of context, give the reader a good sense of the character’s personality: Christine’s speech from Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera, Mrs. Lenton in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, Marmaladov in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, and Yank speaking in Bound East for Cardiff by Eugene O’Neill. You can find these and many others at monologuearchive.com

Step2

Select the time period and part of the world from which your character springs. Whether you choose the Trojan War, the Crusades, or the French Revolution, hooking your character into a specific historical event will give you a focus for your monologue.

Step3

Decide on the sex and age of your character; these two elements will determine the viewpoint to a great extent. For example, the observances of a 90-year old woman and a 12-year-old boy during the Nazi occupation of Paris would vary greatly.

Step4

Read a few historical summaries of the time period you have chosen, particularly those which can tell you the details of daily life. You can easily find these on-line by searching for your event or historical era followed by the word “history.” Take notes on a few key points you would like to touch on in your monologue.

Step5

Decide on what central point your character will be making or what the conflict is that he or she is addressing.

Step6

Write the first sentence keeping in mind that since you are probably writing this monologue independent of an entire play, it will be important to have your character refer to the times and the central point early on in the monologue. Here is a sample beginning sentence: “Nobody but those of us who survived the sinking of the Titanic last night will ever truly understand why we will never be the same.”

Step7

Decide on the length of your monologue. Normally, 100-125 words of dialogue can be given in one minute. So, for a four-minute monologue you would write about four to five hundred words.

Step8

Write the end of your monologue immediately after you have written the first line. This way, you will know where you are going and parcel out your words appropriately for the length and for what you have to say.