Monologue

Stranger Monologue from To Damascus

From To Damascus by August Strindberg

male · anguished · 1:08 min

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Ingeborg! I have made you evil, yet you're on the way to make me good! It was my dream, you know, to seek redemption through a woman. You don't believe it! But it's true. In the old days nothing was of value to me if I couldn't lay it at a woman's feet. Not as a tribute to an overbearing mistress,... but as a sacrifice to the beautiful and good. It was my pleasure to give; but she wanted to take and not receive: that's why she hated me! When I was helpless and thought the end was near, a desire grew in me to fall asleep on a mother's knee, on a tremendous breast where I could bury my tired head and drink in the tenderness I'd been deprived of.

About this piece

The Stranger reflects on his complex relationship with Ingeborg, revealing his deep yearning for redemption and the tenderness he has been deprived of, while grappling with feelings of guilt and sacrifice.

30s · longing · redemption · love · sacrifice · isolation

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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.

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