8 Monologues from Characters Facing Their Fears
Written by Meghan Mitchell
December 16, 2016
Are you in need of a monologue from someone who is finally coming to terms with their worst fears? These monologues all find characters confronting, recollecting, or becoming their own fears. Be it a bump in the night, bullying, childhood fears, or a rogue gun man, no one is safe from their own mind when it comes to the terrors of imagination.
Nightmares by R.J. Ryland
(Male or Female, Dramatic, Kids/Juniors 5-13)
This monologue is not from a play; it is a standalone piece. This scene entitled “Nightmares.” In this scene, a child explains that they have had a very bad dream involving standing hundreds of feet in the air after a building has collapsed around them. They imagine how the people in the collapsing buildings would have felt on September 11th. The child ends by imagining themselves grown up with a job in an office building and wondering if they’ll ever feel safe. A good monologue for an actor exploring dramatic story-telling with an internal struggle.
A monologue from Voices from the Mosque by Alecky Blythe
(Male, Dramatic, Teens)
A London mosque. The play is made up of four short monologues in which three Muslim men talk about the aftereffects of 9/11. The script has been created from real-life interviews, which were then edited. The play is one of twenty that make up a larger performance piece called Decade. In this monologue, a troubled teen describes the discrimination and fear of passers-by after 9/11.
A Monologue from Little Dolls by Nancy Harris
(Female, Dramatic, 20s)
A room without light. This speech comes at the start of the play. During a session with her therapist, Vicky is attempting to recall a traumatic incident from her childhood when she went on a school trip to the Continent. Vicky is suffering from a kind of post-traumatic stress syndrome. She is acutely anxious and is unable to lead what she describes as a ‘normal’ life.
A monologue from Love and Information by Caryl Churchill
(Male, Dramatic, Teens and Older)
This monologue, entitled ‘The Child Who Didn’t Know Fear’, is one of over seventy short scenes that go to make up Caryl Churchill’s full-length play Love and Information. In this fast moving kaleidoscope of a play, more than a hundred characters try to make sense of what they know. This monologue is a bedtime story saturated in fear, but finally ends in as the ultimate anti-joke.
A monologue from The River by Jez Butterworth
(Male, Dramatic, 20s – 40s)
On a moonless night in August when the sea trout are ready to run, a man brings his new girlfriend to the remote family cabin where he has come for the fly-fishing since he was a boy. But she’s not the only woman he has brought here – or indeed the last. The play tells the story of four unnamed characters. They are described only as ‘The Man’, ‘The Woman’, ‘The Other Woman’ and ‘Another Woman’. After a few mix-ups with all these women, ‘The Other Woman’ finally asks ‘The Man’, ‘How many women have you brought here?’ The speech that follows is The Man’s response.
Too Old to Learn by R.J. Ryland
(Male or Female, Serio-Comic, Kids/Juniors 5-13)
This monologue is not from a play; it is a standalone piece. This scene entitled “Too Told to Learn.” A child is speaking to a friend about learning how to swim for the first time. It is summer vacation, and people are swimming at a lake, but the child doesn’t want to learn because they are scared. But once they see another, much younger child, jump in the water, they change their mind and consider the possibility of learning to swim. A good monologue for an actor exploring conflict in a scene.
A monologue from Lockdown by Julia Edwards
(Female, Dramatic, Teens-20s)
It’s just another day in the CliffsNotes Library (more books, less filling!) until a siren sounds, the doors automatically lock, and the not-so-studious students discover they are trapped. What’s going on? Was there a gunshot? In this monologue, Alice, a quiet teenager who reads the dictionary, recalls another time a year ago when there was a shooting.
A monologue from The Scream by DT Arcieri
(Male, Comedic, 20s – 40s)
Bob, described simply as “disheveled”, is reading Stephen King’s ‘The Shining’ for a few seconds and then develops a twitch which becomes progressively worse. He drops the book, holds his face like the character in Munch’s painting and then screams. In this monologue he describes his condition and its possible stress related causes.
Looking for other monologue collections? Check out the ones below!
- 10 Monologues from Characters Who Need to Apologize
- 10 Monologues from Characters Seeking Approval
- 10 Monologues from Male Characters: Fathers, Brothers, and Sons
- 10 Monologues for Women Who Speak Their Mind
- 10 Greek and Roman Monologues for Men
- 10 Monologues for People Who Have a Bone to Pick
- 10 Great Monologues from LGBTQ-Identifying Characters
- 10 Monologues for Characters Who Have Theatre on the Brain
- 10 Male Monologues from Characters Dealing With Death