Monologue

Ventidius Monologue from All for Love

From All for Love by John Dryden

male · defiant · 1:19 min

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Caesar thinks not so; He'll thank you for the gift he could not take. You would be killed like Tully, would you? do, Hold out your throat to Caesar, and die tamely. (ANTONY: No, I can kill myself; and so resolve.) I can die with you too, when time shall serve; But fortune calls upon us now to live, To fight, to conquer. (ANTONY: Sure thou dream'st, Ventidius.) No; 'tis you dream; you sleep away your hours In desperate sloth, miscalled philosophy. Up, up, for honour's sake; twelve legions wait you, And long to call you chief: By painful journeys I led them, patient both of heat and hunger, Down form the Parthian marches to the Nile. 'Twill do you good to see their sunburnt faces, Their scarred cheeks, and chopt hands: there's virtue in them. They'll sell those mangled limbs at dearer rates Than yon trim bands can buy.

About this piece

Ventidius urges a leader to rise from complacency and embrace the call to action, emphasizing the honor and virtue found in the soldiers he has led through hardship.

30s · determination · honor · ambition · power · sacrifice

Rehearse Ventidius'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.

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