ABSTRACT
The key feature of Alan Bennett’s monologues is the way the characters betray more than they realise. For the monologue to have depth, therefore, irony and sub-text become important ingredients. In addition to dramatic monologues or monodramas which constitute the entire play, the term ‘monologue’ is often used within dramas whenever a character has an extended speech. Monologues tend to be written largely because it is very challenging to improvise a complete script. However working with monologues has considerable value because it draws attention very graphically to the way meaning works at different levels in drama. A form of written monologue can be used to initiate the drama. In improvised/process drama the monologue tends to be used less frequently because it tends not to lend itself to improvised work; it needs to be more deliberately constructed. The situations in the left column could be used for the creation of fairly straightforward monologues.
