Monologue

Suffolk Monologue from Henry VI

From Henry VI by William Shakespeare

male · romantic · 1:05 min

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If I depart from thee, I cannot live; And in thy sight to die, what were it else But like a pleasant slumber in thy lap? Here could I breathe my soul into the air, As mild and gentle as the cradle-babe Dying with mother’s dug between its lips; Where, from thy sight, I should be raging mad And cry out for thee to close up mine eyes, To have thee with thy lips to stop my mouth. So shouldst thou either turn my flying soul, Or I should breathe it so into thy body, And then it lived in sweet Elysium. To die by thee were but to die in jest; From thee to die were torture more than death. O, let me stay, befall what may befall!

About this piece

Suffolk expresses his deep emotional turmoil over the thought of separation from his beloved, revealing his vulnerability and desperation for connection.

30s · longing · love · death · madness

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