Monologue

Orlando Monologue from As You Like It

From As You Like It by William Shakespeare

male · contemplative · 54 sec

Rehearse this freeFind more monologues
Speak you so gently? Pardon me, I pray you. I thought that all things had been savage here And therefore put I on the countenance Of stern commandment. But whate’er you are That in this desert inaccessible, Under the shade of melancholy boughs, Lose and neglect the creeping hours of time, If ever you have looked on better days, If ever been where bells have knolled to church, If ever sat at any good man’s feast, If ever from your eyelids wiped a tear, And know what ’tis to pity and be pitied, Let gentleness my strong enforcement be, In the which hope I blush and hide my sword.

About this piece

Orlando expresses his vulnerability and desire for connection in a secluded, melancholic setting, reflecting on past joys and the nature of gentleness.

20s · hope · isolation · redemption · identity · longing

Rehearse Orlando'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 As You Like It

Browse