Shakespeare’s Soliloquy in Close Contact with Audience - Easier to Deliver Long Asides with Effect

A soliloquy is an actor’s address to the audience, a long aside.  It  is a monologue in which a character reveals inner thoughts, motivations, and feelings. Shakespeare used the technique often, and his soliloquies are poetic and rich in imagery. It was a convention current in Shakespeare’s day, which shake spear also adopted in his plays. Modern taste is against the use of soliloquies and in fact it is now considered an unpardonable defect in a drama. Not so was the case in Elizabethan times whose apron platform helped the actor to come in close contact with his audience and thus made it easier to deliver his long asides with effect. 

William Shakespeare 

William Shakespeare  embraced the convention of soliloquies, which was well-suited to the theatrical conventions of his time, and he perfected the technique in his later plays with great skill and economy. The use of soliloquies had different effects in tragedy and comedy, and their functions varied accordingly. In his comedies, we can see clear comic effects in the soliloquies of characters like Benedick and Malvolio. In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock's soliloquy is strictly relevant to the situation and the development of the play. In the histories, Henry V's soliloquy on the eve of Agincourt is lovely to read but not as dramatically effective, as it raises a smile from the audience over the king's complaint to the public for their failure to appreciate his efforts to maintain peace. Iago's soliloquies in Othello are famous, or perhaps notorious, as they mainly serve to provide explanations that are generally accepted. Read More Elizabethan Literature 

The greatest soliloquy in Shakespeare and perhaps in the whole of literature is reserved, however, for the prince of Denmark when he utters his “to be or not to be” those are perhaps the most widely –read lines of a drama and have a force and beauty of their own. Read More William Shakespeare Again, we , however, can't resist ourselves from quoting Macbeth where Macbeth meditates on the futility of human endeavors.Read More William Shakespeare Macbeth’s schemes for gaining power are falling apart, and he has just heard that Lady Macbeth is dead:

"Out, out, brief candle!

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more: it is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing." 

Soliloquy in Shakespeare has many functions. The speaker of a soliloquy may act as a narrator as Edgar does in King Lear. The soliloquies may again function as a chorus commenting on the action of the play as does Kent in King Lear again. Soliloquies can also serve as a chorus commenting on the action of the play, as demonstrated by Kent in King Lear. Like a chorus, Kent's soliloquies provide insight into the characters and events of the play, offering commentary and interpretation for the audience. Through his soliloquies, Kent serves as a moral compass for the audience, highlighting the themes of justice and loyalty that are central to the play. His commentary adds depth and complexity to the characters and events, enriching the audience's understanding of the play. By functioning as a chorus, Kent's soliloquies also contribute to the overall dramatic structure of the play. They provide a moment of reflection and contemplation for the audience, allowing them to process the events of the play and understand their significance.

Soliloquies may expose the real nature of a character in an early plays, for example when Richard III says, “I am determined to prove a villain”.  Again, in his mature play Hamlet, a play about a man whose mind may be his fatal flaw, we find the glory of complexity. Read More Elizabethan Literature Nowhere is this complexity more apparent than in Hamlet's famous soliloquy in Act III, Scene 1. Since first performed in the early 1600s, the title role in William Shakespeare's Hamlet has remained a favorite of many actors because of the emotional complexity of Hamlet's personality:

" 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—
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep—
To sleep, perchance to dream, ay there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life:
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action. Soft you now,
The fair Ophelia.—Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remembered."

One of the key reasons why William Shakespeare's soliloquies are so effective is because they create a close connection between the character and the audience. His soliloquies are often delivered directly to the audience, breaking the fourth wall and creating a sense of intimacy. By speaking directly to the audience, the character is able to establish a personal connection with them, drawing them into the world of the play.

Furthermore, because soliloquies are spoken by a character alone on stage, they allow for longer asides that can be delivered with greater effect. Without the need to engage in dialogue with other characters, the soliloquizing character is free to express their thoughts and feelings at length, allowing the audience to fully understand their perspective. For example, in Hamlet's famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy, he reflects on the nature of life and death, grappling with the decision of whether to take his own life. By delivering this monologue directly to the audience, Hamlet is able to create a deep emotional connection with them, inviting them to contemplate these weighty existential questions alongside him.

 Shakespeare's use of soliloquies is a key factor in the enduring popularity of his plays. By creating a close connection between the character and the audience, and allowing for longer, more impactful asides, Shakespeare is able to provide a rich, immersive theatrical experience that has stood the test of time. Again, Shakespeare's use of soliloquies extends beyond the individual characters, serving as a powerful tool for commentary and interpretation. By using this technique, Shakespeare creates a rich, multifaceted theatrical experience that continues to captivate audiences to this day.

Ardhendu De