English · Year 8

Active learning ideas

Monologues and Soliloquies

Active learning turns abstract drama concepts into lived experience, helping students feel the shift between private and public speech. By performing these roles, students connect the mechanics of language to emotional truth in ways static analysis cannot.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9E8LA05
• AC9E8LT04

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 25 min · Pairs

Pairs Practice: Soliloquy Scripts

Partners select a character from a studied play and co-write a 1-minute soliloquy revealing a hidden fear. One performs while the other notes language impact and motivation clues. Switch roles and discuss differences from monologues.

Analyze how a soliloquy allows an audience to understand a character's true motivations.

Facilitation Tip

During Pairs Practice, circulate and coach pairs to use volume and eye contact to show whether the speech is private or directed outward.

What to look for

Provide students with a short excerpt from a play containing either a monologue or soliloquy. Ask them to write one sentence identifying it as a monologue or soliloquy and one sentence explaining what it reveals about the character's state of mind.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 40 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Monologue vs Soliloquy Debate

Groups divide into roles: half prepare a monologue scene to another character, half a soliloquy alone. Perform for the class, then debate which advances plot more effectively, citing evidence from performances.

Compare the dramatic function of a monologue delivered to another character versus a soliloquy.

Facilitation Tip

In the Small Groups debate, assign roles like ‘director’ and ‘actor’ to keep the discussion focused on staging choices rather than just opinion.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'When is it more dramatically effective for a character to speak their thoughts aloud alone (soliloquy) versus revealing them through a speech to another character (monologue)?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to use examples from texts studied.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 35 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Performance Gallery Walk

Students write individual short monologues on personal 'hidden desires.' Perform in a circle as others walk and note emotional responses on sticky notes. Class tallies most impactful for shared analysis.

Construct a short monologue that reveals a character's hidden desire or fear.

Facilitation Tip

For the Performance Gallery Walk, provide a simple rubric card for each class member to complete as they watch, ensuring active observation.

What to look for

Present students with two short speech excerpts. Ask them to label each as either a monologue or soliloquy and briefly justify their choice based on whether the character is alone or addressing someone else.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Role Play
• 20 min · Individual

Individual: Reflection Rewrite

Each student rewrites a famous soliloquy excerpt in modern Australian English, focusing on preserving motivations. Record audio performances and self-assess clarity of inner thoughts revealed.

Analyze how a soliloquy allows an audience to understand a character's true motivations.

What to look for

Provide students with a short excerpt from a play containing either a monologue or soliloquy. Ask them to write one sentence identifying it as a monologue or soliloquy and one sentence explaining what it reveals about the character's state of mind.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this through embodied practice first, then discussion. Research shows that when students physically perform a soliloquy, their later written analysis includes more nuanced observations about audience effect. Avoid over-explaining the definitions before students experience the difference. Use short, scaffolded excerpts to build confidence before longer texts.

Students will confidently distinguish monologues from soliloquies, explain their dramatic functions, and use performance to reveal character motivation. Success looks like clear labeling, thoughtful justification, and visible engagement in role-play and discussion.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Pairs Practice, watch for students who treat both speech types the same.

  Remind pairs to physically position themselves: one facing away or whispering for soliloquy, the other turned toward an imaginary partner for monologue, to highlight the difference in audience and purpose.

• During Small Groups Monologue vs Soliloquy Debate, watch for claims that these speeches don’t affect plot.

  Prompt groups to identify how a monologue might lead to a character’s decision or a soliloquy might build suspense, using their staged examples as evidence in the debate.

• During Whole Class Performance Gallery Walk, watch for students assuming soliloquies only appear in Shakespeare.

  Include at least one contemporary excerpt in the gallery walk, such as from Hannie Rayson, and ask students to compare how the device functions across time periods.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play