Editing Monologue (section)

==History==
In ancient Greek theatre, the origin of western drama,<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Origins of Theater in Ancient Greece and Beyond: From Ritual to Drama |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6co-gCG12iwC&pg=PA2|date=2007|publisher=Cambridge University Press|editor-last1=Csapo |editor-first1=Eric |editor-last2=Miller |editor-first2=Margaret Christina |isbn=9780521836821|location=Cambridge|pages=1–32|oclc=70335135}}</ref> the conventional three actor rule was preceded by a two-actor rule, which was itself preceded by a convention in which only a single actor would appear on stage, along with the chorus.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kuritz|first=Paul|title=The Making of Theatre History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cS6JV4Z27DoC|access-date=27 May 2014|year=1988|publisher=Paul Kuritz |isbn=978-0-13-547861-5}}</ref> The origin of the monologue as a dramatic device, therefore, is not rooted in dialogue. It is, instead, the other way around; dialogue evolved from the monologue.

Ancient Roman theatre featured monologues extensively, more commonly than either Ancient Greek theatre or modern theatre.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Link Monologues in Roman Comedy |author=Henry W. Prescott |journal=Classical Philology |volume=34 |issue=1 |date=January 1939 |pages=1–23|jstor=264065|doi=10.1086/362195 |s2cid=162249208 }}</ref> One of the key purposes of these monologues was to indicate the passage of significant amounts of time (that would be tedious to actually play out in real time) within scenes. This type of monologue is referred to as a linking monologue.<ref name="jstor1">{{cite journal|title=Link Monologues in Roman Comedy |author=Henry W. Prescott |journal=Classical Philology |volume=34 |issue=2 |date=April 1939 |pages=116–126|jstor=264823|doi=10.1086/362225 |s2cid=224792284 }}</ref> Other monologue types included "entrance monologues"<ref name="jstor1"/> and exit monologues.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Exit Monologues in Roman Comedy |author=Henry W. Prescott |journal=Classical Philology|volume=37 |issue=1 |date=January 1942 |pages=1–21 |jstor=264367|doi=10.1086/362568 |s2cid=162389976 }}</ref> In each of these cases a primary function is indicating the passage of time.<ref name="jstor1"/>

From Renaissance theatre onward, monologues generally focused on characters using the extended speech to pursue their dramatic need. Postmodern theatre, on the other hand, often embraces the performative aspects of the monologue, even to the point of challenging the boundary between character portrayal (e.g. acting) and autobiographical speeches.<ref>{{cite book|last=Geis|first=Deborah R.|title=Postmodern theatric(k)s: monologue in contemporary American drama|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AiJaAAAAMAAJ|access-date=27 May 2014|date=December 1993|publisher=[[University of Michigan Press]]|isbn=978-0-472-10467-3}}</ref>