Soliloquy
 |
A soliloquy is a literary device often used in drama characterized by a character's divulgence of his or her thoughts or emotions to the audience.[1] This is different from a monologue primarily in that it is specifically spoken to the audience, as opposed to another character.
To "soliloquize" can mean to recite a soliloquy or to talk to oneself.
Soliloquies were frequently used in poetic dramas; dramas in prose use a more realistic speaking style and rarely if ever feature them. The plays of William Shakespeare feature many soliloquies. The "To be or not to be" speech in Hamlet is perhaps the most famous one in the English language. Macbeth's "Tomorrow and tomorrow" speech and Juliet's "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" are other famous examples of Shakespearean soliloquies (although Juliet's speech is overheard by Romeo).