Shakespeare soliloquy...?

Question:There's going to be a Shakespeare soliloquy contest in our school soon and I'm interested in participating. Which one would you recommend I do? Also, would it be terribly wrong if I decided to do Juliet's pre-suicide soliloquy?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: There's going to be a Shakespeare soliloquy contest in our school soon and I'm interested in participating. Which one would you recommend I do? Also, would it be terribly wrong if I decided to do Juliet's pre-suicide soliloquy?

Do something that you love and that you can really throw yourself into; that's the most important thing. Then turn all the dials up to 11 and don't be afraid to really get into it!

If you really want to win, you want a strong, powerful, "external" speech, rather than a reflective, "internal" one. Also, you shouldn't do something obvious, that everyone knows, like "To be or not to be," or "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow."

I think the Juliet might be a good choice, especially if you can do a litte "Acting" in it--have a bench on stage that you can "wake up" on, maybe they'll let you have the poison bottle and a dagger? Very powerful emotions in that scene--you're on the right track.

If you're looking for female speeches, take a look at Act I of Henry VI, Part Three. We're in the middle of a civil war, and Queen Margaret has just captured Richard, Duke of York, who is trying to kick her and her husband out of power. Very nasty. It's not strictly a "soliloquy," because she's not alone on stage, but still.

If you are a boy, yeah probably.

I don't think it will matter about the gender of the character...especially if you consider that all roles were played by men.

One of my favorites is from Hamlet 1.2.131-61 "O, that this too too solid flesh would melt/
Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!"

Maybe you should look for one that is less likely to be chosen, like one from Richard III or Othello

I would recommend one from Otherllo.
The character IAGO in Othello has the most dialogue out of all the Shakespearean plays and he is this kind of deceitful and unlikable character.
But you can also do a soliloqui by Othello. His soliloquies have a lot of emotion in them and you can be creative with it. He basically thinks that his wife is cheating on him and it is tearing him appart. He is really heartbroken and it's fantastic.

(and no there is nothing wrong if you want to do Juliets pre-suicidal soliloqui)

Act V, scene v from Richard the II is quite impressive. The king has just been imprisoned and waxes existential about his reign.

I'm also quite fond of the epilogue from The Tempest, but it may be too brief.

No matter what you choose, find a passage to which you can easily relate. If you find a way to connect to the emotion in the passage to your own experience you'll make it grand. Bonus points, in my opinion, if it is a soliloquy that is less-frequently quoted.