English Literature GCSE
Soliloquy
What Soliloquy means in English Literature GCSE, as defined for Eduqas, OCR, Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Soliloquy
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
A speech given by a character alone on stage, revealing their inner thoughts.
A speech in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud, usually when alone on stage, revealing their inner feelings and motivations to the audience. In Henry V, Henry's soliloquy in Act 4, Scene 1 ('Upon the king!') reveals his private doubts and the burden of kingship.
A speech delivered by a character when they are alone on stage, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings to the audience. Example: Juliet's speech before she drinks the potion in Act 4, Scene 3.
A speech in which a character, alone on stage, speaks their thoughts aloud. Shylock has several soliloquies that give the audience insight into his motivations.
An act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play.
A speech where a character speaks their thoughts aloud when alone, revealing their inner state.
Topics that use Soliloquy
- Henry V (Eduqas GCSE)
- Macbeth (Eduqas GCSE)
- Section A (20%) Shakespeare (Eduqas GCSE)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (OCR GCSE)
- Exploring poetry and Shakespeare (02) (OCR GCSE)
- Henry V (OCR GCSE)
- Romeo and Juliet (OCR GCSE)
- The Merchant of Venice (OCR GCSE)
- Shakespeare Play (choice of: Macbeth, The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice) (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- Twelfth Night (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
Related terms
- Dramatic Irony
- Blank Verse
- Foil
- Iambic Pentameter
- Machiavellian
- Hamartia
- Divine Right of Kings
- Foreshadowing
Using Soliloquy in the exam
Definition questions usually carry one or two marks, and examiners look for the precise wording. Write the definition from memory, check it against the version above, and then use the term in a longer answer on the same topic so it sticks.
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