Monologue

Understanding Monologue

Monologues work in scripts when they arrive at a moment of extreme pressure, revelation, or transformation. Quint's Indianapolis speech in "Jaws" works because it is earned — the character has been mysterious, and the monologue cracks him open. Alec Baldwin's "coffee is for closers" speech in "Glengarry Glen Ross" works because it changes the power dynamic of the entire film. A monologue should not be a character lecturing. It should be an event — something shifts by the end of the speech that was not true at the beginning. The speaker should need something from the listener. The audience should feel the stakes. Formatting-wise, a monologue is a continuous dialogue block. Some writers break it into paragraphs with action lines between them to avoid a wall of text.

Example in a Screenplay

                    FATHER
          I built that company from a
          folding table in a garage. Your
          mother answered phones. I poured
          concrete. We ate rice for three
          years.

          And now you want to sell it to
          some equity firm that'll gut it
          for parts? That's not business.
          That's grave robbing.

          You want my shares? You look me
          in the eye and tell me you'll
          keep the name on the building.

Common Mistakes

Related Terms