Monologue

Stranger Monologue from To Damascus

From To Damascus by August Strindberg

any · anguished · 1:03 min

Rehearse this freeFind more monologues
How should I know! Yet I do! I couldn't endure to see men suffer. So I kept on saying, and writing, too: free yourselves, I will help you. And to the poor I said: do not let the rich exploit you. And to the women: do not allow yourselves to be enslaved by the men. And--worst of all--to the children: do not obey your parents, if they are unjust. What followed was impossible to foresee. I found that everyone was against me: rich and poor, men and women, parents and children. And then came sickness and poverty, beggary and shame, divorce, law-suits, exile, solitude, and now.... Tell me, do you think me mad?

About this piece

The Stranger reflects on his efforts to liberate others from societal constraints, only to face overwhelming opposition and personal suffering, questioning his own sanity in the process.

30s · despair · freedom · isolation · madness · power

Rehearse Stranger'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 To Damascus