Today I'm going to go through my poems and figure out which 2 I want to keep for my self-tapes. I need 2 contrasting monologues, one contemporary and one classic.
CLASSIC
In my original 5 options, I only had one classical monologue. This was Ophelia's monologue in Hamlet by William Shakespeare. After discussing this with my teacher, I discovered that it is better to do monologue that isn't as common. I've done some more research and found a monologue that is more suitable.
Cordelia's monologue from King Lear by Shakespeare
Unhappy that I am, I cannot heaveMy heart into my mouth. I love your Majesty
According to my bond; no more nor less.
Good my lord,
You have begot me, bred me, lov’d me; I
Return those duties back as are right fit,
Obey you, love you, and most honour you.
Why have my sisters husbands, if they say
They love you all? Haply, when I shall wed,
That lord whose hand must take my plight shall carry
Half my love with him, half my care and duty.
Sure I shall never marry like my sisters,
To love my father all.
CONTEMPORARY
My other 4 monologues were contemporary; Amy's monologue from And Turning, Stay by Kellie Powell, Mildred's monologue from The Hairy Ape by Eugene O'Neill, Sylv's monologue from East by Steven Berkoff and Bette's monologue from The Marriage of Bette and Boo by Christopher Durang. It's quite a tough choice to decide which monologue I want to use. Here are the reasons I didn't pick specific monologues:
And Turning, Stay by Kellie Powell
This was my second choice for the contemporary monologues. The play is about a girl named Amy in high school, who has a tryst with her best friend, Mark, only to find out he doesn't want to be in a relationship with her. This monologue occurs after Mark gets beaten up due to the way he treated Amy. This character would fit me very well as I am a female in high school. However, this is also the reason I decided to not chose this monologue. I feel as if I could challenge myself more than portraying someone who is around my age and in high school.
The Hairy Ape by Eugene O'Neill
The main theme of this play is wealth and poverty. In this monologue, Mildred is sitting on a cruise ship, talking about how she has had her wealth passed down through generations and not having to work hard for anything. The main thing that steered me away from this monologue was my disliking of it. I will need to enjoy a play and monologue to be able to give it justice when I perform it. I don't really like this monologue and I think that enjoying it is very important.
East by Steven Berkoff
This was originally going to be my final monologue. The reason as to why I decided otherwise is because I have already worked on this monologue and play before. I think that I wouldn't be pushing myself enough if I re-did it. I also want to explore what else I can do, as there's loads of material out there and I want to test and challenge myself.
Bette's monologue from The Marriage of Bette and Boo by Christopher Durang
This is the monologue I decided to go for. It ticked every box. I found it really entertaining and funny, which is a massive factor, and I'm challenging myself.
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