Literary terms · AP English Literature, AP English Language, SAT Reading and Writing, ACT Reading
Dramatic monologue
Dramatic monologue: A poem spoken by a character to a silent listener, revealing the speaker's personality and situation.
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What it means
In a dramatic monologue, a single speaker addresses someone who does not reply, at a specific moment. Readers infer the setting, the listener's reactions and the speaker's character from what is said, and the speaker often reveals more than intended.
The form is related to the soliloquy in drama. A soliloquy is spoken alone; a dramatic monologue has an implied listener.
Example
A poem in which a landowner shows a visitor around his estate while boasting, complaining and threatening reveals his arrogance through his own words.
On the exam
Treat the speaker as a character and analyze what the speech reveals, including what the speaker does not realize.
Lessons and practice questions
Related terms
- SpeakerThe voice that speaks in a poem, treated as distinct from the poet.
- IronyA contrast between what is said and what is meant, what is expected and what happens, or what a character knows and what the audience knows.
- Unreliable narratorA narrator whose account cannot be fully trusted because of bias, limited knowledge, self-deception or dishonesty.