Monologue

Beggar Monologue from To Damascus

From To Damascus by August Strindberg

male · philosophical · 1:12 min

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Yes. Though you don't want it! You'll be forced to preach against yourself from the housetops. To unpick your fabric thread by thread. To flay yourself alive at every street corner, and show what you really are. But that needs courage. All the same, a man who's played with the thunder will not tremble! Yet, sometimes, when night falls and the Invisible Ones, who can only be seen in darkness, ride on his chest, then he will fear--even the stars, and most of all the Mill of Sins, that grinds the past, and grinds it... and grinds it! One of the seven-and-seventeen Wise Men said that the greatest victory he ever won was over himself; but foolish men don't believe it, and that's why they're deceived; because they only credit what nine-and-ninety fools have said a thousand times.

About this piece

The Beggar confronts the audience with a profound reflection on self-awareness and the struggle against one's own past, emphasizing the courage needed to reveal one's true self.

30s · fear · identity · redemption · self-discovery

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Run it out loud with a spotlight that follows your voice, line by line, until it's off the page. Free to start, no credit card.

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