Monologue

Confessor Monologue from To Damascus

From To Damascus by August Strindberg

male · philosophical · 1:23 min

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Here? You're a child, who's lived in a childish world, where you've played with thoughts and words. You've lived in the erroneous belief that language, a material thing, can be a vehicle for anything so subtle as thoughts and feelings. We've discovered that error, and therefore speak as little as possible; for we are aware of, and can divine, the innermost thoughts of our neighbour. We've so developed our perceptive faculties by spiritual exercises that we are linked in a single chain; and can detect a feeling of pleasure and harmony, when there's complete accord. The Prior, who has trained himself most rigorously, can feel if anyone's thoughts have strayed into wrong paths. In some respects he's like--merely like, I say--a telephone engineer's galvanometer, that shows when and where a current has been interrupted. Therefore we can have no secrets from one another, and so do not need the confessional. Think of all this when you confront the searching eye of the Prior!

About this piece

The Confessor addresses a child-like character, revealing the complexities of communication and the deep connections formed through spiritual awareness, while challenging the need for traditional confessional practices.

child · confusion · identity · power · isolation · redemption

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