Monologue

Captain Monologue from The Father

From The Father by August Strindberg

male · philosophical · 1:12 min

Rehearse this freeFind more monologues
Yes, for she has her children, which he has not. But, like the rest of mankind, we lived our lives unconscious as children, full of imagination, ideals, and illusions, and then we awoke; it was all over. But we awoke with our feet on the pillow, and he who waked us was himself a sleep-walker. When women grow old and cease to be women, they get beards on their chins; I wonder what men get when they grow old and cease to be men. Those who crowed were no longer cocks but capons, and the pullets answered their call, so that when we thought the sun was about to rise we found ourselves in the bright moon light amid ruins, just as in the good old times. It had only been a little morning slumber with wild dreams, and there was no awakening.

About this piece

The Captain reflects on the nature of life, aging, and the loss of ideals, revealing a deep sense of disillusionment and confusion about identity and existence.

40s · melancholy · identity · aging · illusion · disillusionment

Rehearse Captain's monologue

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.

Rehearse freeStart rehearsing

More from The Father