Write a short essay on dramatic monologue. |Introduction, History, Features and Types
Introduction :
The term ' dramatic monologue is a poetic composition put into the mouth of one character. In other words, it is a poem which consists of the feelings, experiences and views of one poetic character, about a particular situation. It is the expression of one poetic character. It has the force or vividness of drama. Hence, it is called ' dramatic monologue "To analyse the dramatic monologue is a poetic composition.
Second, it is the utterance of poetic character, not of the poet himself. So the pronoun. ' I ' in it does not refer to the poet. On the other hand, it refers to the poetic character standing in the centre of the poem. Third, the dramatic monologue has elements of drama in it.
The dramatic elements is mental conflict, emotional pressure etc. In the character. Needless to say, the poetic character is a product of the poet's imagination. The poet may, however, give him a name, such as ' Ulysses ' ' Andra Del Sarto ', etc.
History of Dramatic Monologue:
Dramatic monologue originated in ancient Greek tragedy. It appeared as an emotional reaction to a situation of a dramatic character. It was highly poetic, touching and compact. Its supreme examples can be seen in Sophocles's Greek tragedy Tyrannus. In it, Oedipus is the King of Themes.
Unwingly he kills his own father, Laius, and marries his own mother, Jocasta. She bears three children to him. But when he comes to know of his terrible mistake, he blinds and exiles himself for having done so. The Last part of the tragedy consists of pathetic dramatic monologues.
In England :
In English Literature, the dramatic monologue appeared during the Renaissance ( 1575-1625 ). It appeared in Elizabethan drama, particularly in tragedy. It appeared in the form of a long soliloquy. Its supreme example is Hamlet's soliloquy beginning with " To be or not to be, ( iii ) his mother has married his uncle, King Claudius, he is told by his father's ghost that he ( i.e. his father ) was poisoned to death by Claudius.
Now Hamlet also suspects his mother to be a party to his father's murder because she married Claudius without any delay. Now he is very miserable and bursts into the above-mentioned soliloquy which is a perfect dramatic monologue in itself. In it, asks himself whether he should live and take revenge on his uncle or suffer is misery quietly or die. Other Shakespearean tragedies can also afford examples of pretty dramatic monologues. Milton's classical tragedies can also afford examples of pretty dramatic monologues.
Features of the Dramatic Monologue :
( i ) A single person, who is patently, not the poet, utters the speech that makes up the whole of the poem, in a specific situation at a critical moment.
( ii ) This person addresses and interacts with one or more other people, but we know of the auditor's presence, and what they say and do, only from clues in the discourse of the single speaker.
( iii ) The main principle controlling the poet's choice and formulation of what the lyric speaker says is to reveal to the reader, in a way that enhances its interest, the speaker's temperament and character.
Types of Monologues :
One of the most important influences on the development of the dramatic monologue are the Romantic poets. The long, personal lyrics typical of the Romantic period are not dramatic monologues, in the sense that they do not, for the most part, imply a concentrated narrative. However, poems such as William Wordsworth's ' Tintern Abbey ' and Percy Bysshe Shelley's ' Mont Blanc ", to name two famous examples, offered a model or close psychological observation and philosophical or pseudo-philosophical inquiry described in a specific setting.
The novel and plays have also been important influences on the dramatic monologue, particularly as a means of characterisation. Dramatic monologues are a way of expressing the views of a character and offering the audience greater insight into that character's feelings. Dramatic monologues can also be used in novels to tell stories, as in Mary Shelley's ' Frankenstein ', and to implicate the audience in moral judgments, as in Albert Camus. The Fall and Moshin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
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