{"id":1396,"date":"2016-10-18T15:08:05","date_gmt":"2016-10-18T15:08:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/?p=1396"},"modified":"2020-04-05T03:26:34","modified_gmt":"2020-04-05T03:26:34","slug":"10-greek-and-roman-monologues-for-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/10-greek-and-roman-monologues-for-women\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Greek and Roman Monologues for Women"},"content":{"rendered":"

10 Greek and Roman Monologues for Women<\/h3>\n \"\"<\/a><\/span>

Written by Ashleigh Gardner<\/p>\n

October 18, 2016<\/p>\n<\/font>

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Looking for a monologue<\/span><\/a> from the classic Greeks and Romans? We’ve got ten female monologues that feature strong, independent women standing up to injustice or making hard decisions. (Looking for monologues for men? We’ve got those, too.<\/span><\/a>) Like a monologue? Find it for\u00a0free<\/em> on our site at the\u00a0“Get the monologue here.<\/strong>” link after each item.<\/span><\/p>\n

A monologue from Lysistrata<\/i> by Aristophanes<\/h4>\n
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(Comedic, Teens – 50s)
\n<\/b>A woman encourages her fellow females to keep their lovers from sexual privileges until they agree to establish peace to end the Peloponnesian War. The women have commandeered the Acropolis. The Magistrate comes to arrest them for disorder and trespassing, but he finds himself in the middle of a heated argument between Lysistrata and the rest of the women. Here, Lysistrata tells him about the women’s plight and misfortune during the wars that the men caused.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get the\u00a0Monologue Here<\/a><\/p>\n

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A monologue from Antigone<\/i> by Sophocles<\/h4>\n
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(Dramatic, Teens – 30s)
\n<\/b>Antigone, daughter of Oedipus, the late king of Thebes, in defiance of Creon who rules in his stead, resolves to bury her brother Polyneices, slain in his attack on Thebes. Antigone wants to give her brother a proper burial, which would go against a decree made by Creon, Antigone’s uncle. In this monologue, Ismene, Antigone\u2019s sister, reminds Antigone of the repercussions Antigone and her family will face if Antigone buries Polyneices.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get the\u00a0Monologue Here<\/a><\/p>\n

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A monologue from The Ecclesiazu<\/i>\u00e6<\/i> by Aristophanes<\/h4>\n
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(Comedic, 20s – 50s)
\n<\/b>Athens. Women disguised as men try to win influence of the Athenian government. However, when they take over, their utopian society has a few problems. The leader of these women speaks to the men in the legislature to explain why power should be given to the ladies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get the\u00a0Monologue Here<\/a><\/p>\n

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A monologue from The Casket Comedy<\/i> by Plautus<\/h4>\n
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(Comedic, Teens – 50s)
\n<\/b>Through a long sequence of marriages, children, and handoffs, a girl ends up marrying her already-lover Alcesimarchus. Halisca, a maid, laments losing the casket, a small decorative box that held jewels. She does this in an exaggerated murder-mystery sort of way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get the\u00a0Monologue Here<\/a><\/p>\n

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A monologue from Iphigenia at Aulis<\/i> by Euripides<\/h4>\n
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(Dramatic, Teens – 20s)
\n<\/b>Iphigenia, a virginal young girl, huddles with her mother in front of her father’s quarters; a lynch mob approaches — she is to be sacrificed by her father, Agamemnon. As the mob gets closer, Achilles and Clytemnestra anxiously question what is to be done. Iphigenia, a na\u00efve girl, stops them in their tracks, suddenly announcing her resolve to embrace her date. It is heartbreakingly simplistic, full of high-flown idealism, youthful vehemence and patriotic fervor. She is acting in accordance with what she sees as the gods’ will.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get the\u00a0Monologue Here<\/a><\/p>\n

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A monologue from Agamemnon<\/i> by Seneca<\/h4>\n
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(Dramatic, Teens – 20s)
\n<\/b>The King of Argos, Agamemnon, is returning home from the Trojan War to his wife Clytemnestra, who, unbeknownst to him, is planning his murder. Cassandra, Agamemnon\u2019s captive Trojan prisoner and a seer, knows Clytemnestra\u2019s plan to kill her and Agamemnon upon Agamemnon\u2019s return home. Here, while having a vision, she predicts the murder of Agamemnon by his wife. She uses metaphors and colorful, rich language and acts as in a trance. (It\u2019s important to know that Cassandra is unhappy living in Agamemnon\u2019s palace as a prisoner, and though she knows she is going to die, she sees Agamemnon\u2019s death as a kind of retribution for him having captured her and his destruction of Troy, her home.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Get the\u00a0Monologue Here<\/a><\/p>\n

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A Monologue from Choephori, or The Libation Bearers<\/i> by Aeschylus<\/h4>\n
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(Dramatic, Teens – 20s)
\n<\/b>This play occurs after the story of <\/span>Agamemnon<\/span><\/i>. Agamemnon’s wife, Clytemnestra, has murdered him with the aide of her lover. In <\/span>Choephori or The Libation Bearers<\/span><\/i>, Agamemnon\u2019s son, Orestes, has come back to seek revenge for his father. Electra, Orestes\u2019s sister, seeks advice from the female servants of the house on how she should act at the burial of her father.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get the\u00a0Monologue Here<\/a><\/p>\n

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A monologue from Electra <\/i>by Euripides<\/h4>\n
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(Dramatic, Teens – 20s)
\n<\/b>Electra and her brother Orestes want revenge for being severed from the royal family of their mother, Clytemnestra, and their late father, Agamemnon. Electra is very angry with her mother\u2019s lover. In this monologue, she gets in his face and blames him for playing a part in the murder of her father. She wants vengeance, and she\u2019ll have it one way or another.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get the\u00a0Monologue Here<\/a><\/p>\n

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A monologue from Eumenides<\/i> by Aeschylus<\/h4>\n
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(Dramatic, 20s – 30s)
\n<\/b>Eumenides is the last of the ancient Greek trilogy about the Trojan War and the house of Agammemnon. Orestes, still grief stricken over the loss of his father and the murder of his own mother, has found refuge at the new temple of Apollo at Delphi. After a trial in which Orestes is judged by a heavenly court for the murder of Clytemnestra, he is granted mercy. In this monologue, Athena, who pardoned him, asks him to stay and live with her.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get the\u00a0Monologue Here<\/a><\/p>\n

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A monologue from Alcestis<\/i> by Euripides<\/h4>\n
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(Dramatic, Teens – 20s)
\n<\/b>Alcestis is a gracious, homely, young queen who is loved by all for her gentleness, nobility, and moderation. Her love is expressed through the sacrifice she is making. This speech is a heart-rending farewell to husband and family, all the more touching for the quiet, unquestioning acceptance of her fate. Here, she also explains that she does not want her husband to marry once she is gone, for fear that his new wife will mistreat her young daughter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get the\u00a0Monologue Here<\/a><\/p>\n

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Ashleigh Gardner received her AA in Theatre\/Drama\/Dramatic Arts from Valencia College and her Bachelors Degree in English Literature and Masters Degree in Literary, Cultural, and Textual Studies from the University of Central Florida. She is a playwright and an actor.<\/i><\/b><\/h5>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [...]","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8128,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[470,259,770,301,272],"tags":[271,408,195,185,138,186,196,393,14],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1396"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1396\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}