Monologue

Duchess Monologue from The Duchess of Padua

From The Duchess of Padua by Oscar Wilde

female · dark · 1:16 min

Rehearse this freeFind more monologues
Revenge! I think I never harmed a little child. What should Revenge do coming to my door? It matters not, for Death is there already, Waiting with his dim torch to light my way. ’Tis true men hate thee, Death, and yet I think Thou wilt be kinder to me than my lover, And so dispatch the messengers at once, Harry the lazy steeds of lingering day, And let the night, thy sister, come instead, And drape the world in mourning; let the owl, Who is thy minister, scream from his tower And wake the toad with hooting, and the bat, That is the slave of dim Persephone, Wheel through the sombre air on wandering wing! Tear up the shrieking mandrakes from the earth And bid them make us music, and tell the mole To dig deep down thy cold and narrow bed, For I shall lie within thine arms to-night.

About this piece

The Duchess reflects on her impending death and the nature of revenge, contemplating the kindness of Death compared to her lover's betrayal.

30s · despair · death · revenge · love · isolation

Rehearse Duchess'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 Duchess of Padua

Browse