Monologue

Captain Monologue from The Father

From The Father by August Strindberg

male · defiant · 1:12 min

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No, I am not. Here is a buried crime that begins to stench, and what a hellish crime! You women have been compassionate enough to free the black slaves, but you have kept the white ones. I have worked and slaved for you, your child, your mother, your servants; I have sacrificed promotion and career; I have endured torture, flagellation, sleeplessness, worry for your sake, until my hair has grown gray; and all that you might enjoy a life without care, and when you grew old, enjoy life over again in your child. I have borne everything without complaint, because I thought myself the father of your child. This is the commonest kind of theft, the most brutal slavery. I have had seventeen years of penal servitude and have been innocent. What can you give me in return for that?

About this piece

The Captain confronts the women in his life, expressing his deep sense of betrayal and the emotional toll of his sacrifices for their well-being.

40s · anger · betrayal · power · family · freedom

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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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