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Classic Monologues for High School Girls Below are over 130 monologues taken from classic plays and literature! Performing classic monologues can help students expand their ability to take on more challenging texts. Ways to use this list! Assigned Monologues You may choose to assign students monologues, letting them know that actors cannot always choose their roles and often, they must portray characters with whom they don’t identify. Student’s Choice Allow students access to this list so that they may choose their own. Monologues in a Hat You may also print out enough monologues of equal length for each female student and put them in a hat, and allow them to draw randomly. ‘Cold’ Readings Hand out monologues randomly and allow students a few minutes to read their piece before dramatizing it in front of the class. This builds improvisation skills and helps prepare students for cold-reading in an audition experience. Researched Monologues When practical, assign or have students choose a monologue and then have them read/research the play/literature and analyze their character in preparation for performance. © Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com All Rights Reserved. Page 1 The Crucible From the play by Arthur Miller MARY WARREN: I never knew it before. I never knew anything before. When she come into the court I say to myself, I must not accuse this woman, for she sleeps in ditches, and so very old and poor. But then- then she sit there, denying and denying, and I feel a misty coldness climbin' up my back, and the skin on my skull begin to creep, and I feel a clamp around my neck and I cannot breathe air; and then (entranced) I hear a voice, a screamin' voice, and it were my voice- and all at once I remembered everything she done to me! (Like one awakened to a marvelous secret insight) So many times, Mr. Proctor, she come to this very door, beggin' bread and a cup of cider-and mark this: whenever I turned her away empty, she mumbled. But what does she mumble? You must remember, Goody Proctor. Last month-a Monday, I think-- she walked away, and I thought my guts would burst for two days after. Do you remember it? And so I told that to Judge Hathorne, and he asks her so. "Sarah Good," says he, "what curse do you mumble that this girl must fall sick after turning you away?" And then she replies (mimicking an old crone) "Why, your excellence, no curse at all. I only say my commandments; I hope I may say my commandments," says she! Then Judge Hathorne say, "Recite for us your commandments!" (Leaning avidly toward them) And of all the ten she could not say a single one. She never knew no commandments, and they had her in a flat lie! The Crucible From the play by Arthur Miller ELIZABETH: (Upon a heaving sob that always threatens.) John, it come to naught that I should forgive you, if you'll not forgive yourself. It is not my soul, John, it is yours. (it is difficult to say, and she is on the verge of tears) Only be sure of this, for I know it now: Whatever you will do, it is a good man does it. I have read my heart this three month, John. (Pause) I have sins of my own to count. It needs a cold wife to prompt lechery. (Now pouring out her heart) Better you should know me! You take my sins upon you, John. John, I counted myself so plain, © Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com All Rights Reserved. Page 2 so poorly made, no honest love could come to me! Suspicion kissed you when I did; I never knew how I should say my love. It were a cold house I kept! Death of a Salesman From the play by Arthur Miller LINDA LOMAN: Then make Charley your father, Biff. You can’t do that, can you? I don’t say he’s a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He’s not the finest character that ever lived. But he’s a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He’s not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a person. You called him crazy, no, a lot of people think he’s lost his balance. But you don’t have to be very smart to know what his trouble is. The man is exhausted. A small man can be just as exhausted as a great man. He works for a company thirty six years this March, opens up unheard-of territories to their trademark, and now in his old age they take his salary away. Are they any worse than his sons? When he brought them business, when he was young, they were glad to see him. But now his old friends, the old buyers that loved him so and always found some order to hand him in a pinch, they’re all dead, retired. He used to be able to make six, seven calls a day in Boston. Now he takes his valises out of the car and puts them back and takes them out again and he’s exhausted. Instead of walking he talks now. He drives seven hundred miles, and when he gets there no one knows him anymore, no one welcomes him. And what goes through a man’s mind, driving seven hundred miles home without having earned a cent? Why shouldn’t he talk to himself? Why? When he has to go to Charley and borrow fifty dollars a week and pretend to me that it’s his pay? How long can that go on? How long? You see what I’m sitting here and waiting for? And you tell me he has no character? The man who never worked a day but for your benefit? When does he get the medal for that? © Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com All Rights Reserved. Page 3 A Matter of Husbands From the play by Ferenc Molnar FAMOUS ACTRESS: It happens to every actress who is moderately pretty and successful. It's one of the oldest expedients in the world, and we actresses are such conspicuous targets for it! There is scarcely a man connected with the theater who doesn't make use of us in that way some time or another--authors, composers, scene designers, lawyers, orchestra leaders, even the managers themselves. To regain a wife or sweetheart's affections all they need to do is invent a love affair with one of us. The wife is always so ready to believe it. Usually we don't know a thing about it. But even when it is brought to our notice we don't mind so much. At least we have the consolation of knowing that we are the means of making many a marriage happy which might otherwise have ended in the divorce court. [With a gracious little laugh] There, dear, you mustn't apologize. You couldn't know, of course. It seems so plausible. You fancy your husband in an atmosphere of perpetual temptation, in a backstage world full of beautiful sirens without scruples or morals. One actress, you suppose, is more dangerous than a hundred ordinary women. You hate us and fear us. None understands that better than your husband, who is evidently a very cunning lawyer. And so he plays on your fear and jealousy to regain the love you deny him. He writes a letter and leaves it behind him on the desk. Trust a lawyer never to do that unintentionally. He orders flowers for me by telephone in the morning and probably cancels the order the moment he reaches his office. By the way, hasn't he a lock of my hair? They bribe my hair-dresser to steal from me. It's a wonder I have any hair left at all. And hasn't he left any of my love letters lying around? Don't be alarmed. I haven't written him any. I might have if he had come to me frankly and said: "I say, Sara, will you do something for me? My wife and I aren't getting on so well. Would you write me a passionate love letter that I can leave lying around at home where she may find it?" I should certainly have done it for him. I'd have written a letter that would have made you weep into your pillow for a fortnight. I wrote ten like that for a very eminent playwright once. But he had no luck with them. His wife was such a proper person she returned them all to him unread. © Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com All Rights Reserved. Page 4 Dark at the Top of the Stairs From the play by William Inge LOTTIE: Cora, did you hear what the old maid said to the burglar? You see, the burglar came walking into her bedroom with this big, long billy club and...(she is laughing so hard she can hardly finish the story)...and the old maid...she was so green she didn't know what was happening to her, she said...(stopped by Cora, and a bit shamed and embarrassed) Shucks, Cora, I don't see what's wrong in having a little fun just telling stories. Oh, Mama and Papa, Mama and Papa! I know the way they brought us up.

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