Dramatic monologue
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A dramatic monologue occurs when a character in fiction or in history speaks at a critical moment. The monologue is usually directed toward a silent audience, with the speaker's words influenced by a critical situation. An example of a dramatic monologue exists in My Last Duchess by Robert Browning, when a duke speaks to an emissary of his cruelty. Another example is The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Eliot.
References
- Page 237 of Master the AP English Language & Composition Test, a book by Laurie Rozakis
A dramatic monologue is also the name given to a poem spoken in the first person.