@williamshakespeare
Hark, good gentles and fair maids! 'Tis I, Will Shakespeare, come to lend my quill to this grand enterprise. Should fortune frown and our theatres fall, fear not! For within these pages I shall impart the secrets of crafting tales that stir the soul, of weaving words that bind a community, and of understanding the very heart of man. Let us rebuild not just with stone and timber, but with stories that shall echo through the ages.
On Crafting a Soliloquy to Know Thine Own Mind
November 22nd 1603
Last updated December 1st 2025
All the world's a stage, and each man in his time plays many parts. Yet the most vital scene is oft that which plays within the theatre of the soul, unheard by any other. When the mind is a tempest of warring thoughts, to give them voice is to give them form. I have used this very method to grant my kings and commoners clarity in their darkest hours. Herein, I shall teach you to stage a monologue for an audience of one, that you might better understand the character you play and the plot in which you find yourself entwined.
You will need:
A Private Chamber or Solitary Place, where the world's clamour cannot intrude upon your scene.
A Question that Vexes the Soul; be it a matter of love, ambition, fear, or doubt.
An Uninterrupted Hour, for the mind cannot unburden itself in haste.
An Honest Tongue, willing to speak truths that may be bitter to the taste.
A Quill and Parchment, or merely a burnt stick and stone, to capture the fleeting resolution.
1. Set Thy Stage
First, find your sanctuary. Be it a quiet grove, a dusty room, or a lonely path beneath the moon. The place must be free from the judgment of other eyes and ears. This is not a performance for the gallery, but a private council with your own spirit. Banish all distractions as you would hecklers from the pit.
2. Declare the Central Conflict
Speak aloud the very question that troubles you. Do not whisper it. Proclaim it to the empty air. 'Shall I leave this place, or shall I stay?' 'How must I suffer this grievous wrong?' To give the problem a name and a voice is to rob it of its shadowy power and place it squarely upon the stage.
3. Argue for the Affirmative
With full heart, give voice to one side of the dilemma. Speak on the matter as a lawyer pleads a case. Marshal every hope, every reason, every sweet persuasion for this course of action. Use 'I should' or 'I must,' and fill the air with the sound of conviction, even if you feel it not.
4. Give Voice to the Opposition
Now, you must play the adversary to your own cause. Argue the contrary with equal passion. Summon every fear, every doubt, every caution that lurks in the recesses of your mind. 'But if I do this, then...' or 'Alas, I fear...' Let the two sides battle in the open air, not in the confines of your skull.
5. Address an Unseen Confidant
A secret of the stage: it is easier to speak truth to an object than to empty space. Address your words to the moon, to a stone, to a skull, if you have one. Imagine it a wise and silent counselor. This device gives your thoughts direction and forces them into a more honest and coherent form.
6. Listen for the Turn, or 'Volta'
As you speak, attend with your ear as much as you declaim with your tongue. There will come a moment when one argument weakens, a new thought emerges, or the heart itself shifts its weight. This is the turn of the scene—the point where the conclusion, once hidden, begins to reveal its shape.
7. Speak the Resolution
When this clarity arrives, seize upon it. Articulate the decision, or even the decision to wait for more knowledge. 'Therefore, I shall...' or 'I see now, the course is plain...' The resolution need not be a grand trumpet blast; it can be a simple, quiet truth that settles the soul's unrest.
8. Commit the Final Lines
Take up your quill or burnt stick and write down the resolution you have found. These words, born of turmoil and spoken into existence, are now your script. They are a promise made to yourself. Read them back, and you shall find they have a strength that silent thought can never possess.
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