Classic Monologues for the High School Stage
36 classic speeches, uncut and festival ready.
Speeches from Euripides to Zona Gale, printed exactly as published, each with a beat breakdown, cut notes, verse or prose work, rehearsal exercises and a teacher box.
Former Artistic Director, West Virginia Shakespeare Festival
- ✓ Public-domain plays: no royalties to perform
- ✓ One purchase covers your whole school
- ✓ Instant PDF download
- ✓ Free with Flex, Llama and Dramallama U plans
Inside every entry
Built like a rehearsal room
Every speech is built on the questions actors train on. Who is this person talking to? What do they want? What is in the way? What changes by the last line?
Student handout
Who is speaking and to whom, what the character wants, the words to know, and the speech itself with its time.
For students
Breakdown and language
The beats, what changes, where the speech starts and stops, and how the language works.
For students
Rehearsal
Three rehearsal prompts and a class game that gets the speech on its feet.
For students
For teachers
Skill focus, scaffold, content note, assessment checklist, casting and festival use.
For teachers
Look inside
Real pages from the book
The free preview has the front of the book and the first two complete entries. Open the preview
Contents
All 36 speeches
Every speech is a continuous, uncut passage from a play first published in 1930 or earlier. Times are estimates, so time each piece aloud.
Showing all 36 speeches
Before 1700
- 1
Medea · Medea“’Tis not the first nor second time”Euripides (tr. Murray)
- 2
Euclio · The Pot of Gold“I’m ruined! I’m done for!”Plautus (tr. Riley)
- 3
Helena · A Midsummer Night’s Dream“Lo, she is one of this confederacy!”Shakespeare
- 4
Constance · King John“Gone to be married!”Shakespeare
- 5
Arthur · King John“Have you the heart?”Shakespeare
- 6
Phebe · As You Like It“Think not I love him”Shakespeare
- 7
Spaconia · A King and No King“Nay, never hide yourself”Beaumont & Fletcher
- 8
Queen Katherine · Henry VIII“Sir, I desire you do me right and justice”Shakespeare (with Fletcher)
- 9
The Duchess · The Duchess of Malfi“The misery of us that are born great!”Webster
- 10
Mother Sawyer · The Witch of Edmonton“Still vexed! still tortured!”Dekker, Rowley & Ford
- 11
Arsinoé · The Misanthrope“Friendship ought most to show itself”Molière (tr. Page)
- 12
Frosine · The Miser“Twelve thousand francs a year”Molière (tr. Page)
1700 to 1880
- 13
Serjeant Kite · The Recruiting Officer“If any gentleman souldiers”Farquhar
- 14
Mrs. Sullen · The Beaux Stratagem“O sister, sister!”Farquhar
- 15
Just · Minna von Barnhelm“Make me as bad as you will”Lessing (tr. Bell)
- 16
Lucy · The Rivals“So, my dear Simplicity”Sheridan
- 17
Sir Peter Teazle · The School for Scandal“When an old bachelor marries a young wife”Sheridan
- 18
Charlotte · The Contrast“I am the pink of prudence”Royall Tyler
- 19
Gertrude · William Tell“A word of honest counsel”Schiller (tr. Martin)
- 20
Tell · William Tell“There, face to face, I met the Viceroy”Schiller (tr. Martin)
- 21
Osip · The Inspector-General“The devil take it! I’m so hungry.”Gogol (tr. Seltzer)
- 22
Katerina · The Storm“I follow him, I follow”Ostrovsky (tr. Garnett)
- 23
Cheviot Hill · Engaged“Here I am at last”W. S. Gilbert
- 24
Nora · A Doll’s House“But it would have been fatal for him to know!”Ibsen (tr. Archer)
1880 to 1930
- 25
Sasha · Ivanoff“Look here, will you do me a favour?”Chekhov (tr. Fell)
- 26
Mrs. Erlynne · Lady Windermere’s Fan“To bid good-bye to my dear daughter”Wilde
- 27
Nicola · Arms and the Man“Never you mind my soul”Shaw
- 28
Arkadina · The Sea-Gull“Let them come!”Chekhov (tr. Fell)
- 29
Maurya · Riders to the Sea“They’re all gone now”Synge
- 30
Christy · The Playboy of the Western World“Half a hundred beyond”Synge
- 31
Falder · Justice“When she left me”Galsworthy
- 32
Liza · Pygmalion“Wring away”Shaw
- 33
Rachel · Rachel“It’s true. It was the best in me”Angelina Weld Grimké
- 34
Tom · Rachel“I hear people talk about God’s justice”Angelina Weld Grimké
- 35
Allie Mayo · The Outside“Wait.”Susan Glaspell
- 36
Lulu · Miss Lulu Bett“Can’t you understand anything?”Zona Gale
No speeches match those filters. Try another combination.
Playwrights: Euripides · Plautus · Shakespeare · Webster · Molière · Farquhar · Sheridan · Schiller · Gogol · Ibsen · Chekhov · Wilde · Shaw · Synge · Galsworthy · Grimké · Glaspell · Gale.
Competition Guide
Ready for the Thespys
No splicing, no combining characters, no text changes. That meets the strictest material rules we found.
| Event | Organization (season) | Fits? | The rules that matter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monologue | EdTA Thespys (2026–27) | Yes, as printed | One piece, 3:00 or less; one chair; no props or costumes |
| Contrasting Monologues | EdTA Thespys (2026–27) | Yes, as printed | Two contrasting pieces, 3:00 or less combined; check the times of both pieces |
| Dramatic / Humorous Interpretation | NSDA (2026–27); TFA (Texas) | With your own longer cutting | Up to 10:00. NSDA: +0:30 grace, one published source, no props, costumes or sets |
| Program Oral Interpretation | NSDA (2026–27) | As one source in a themed program | Up to 10:00; read from a manuscript |
Before any festival: the five-point check
- Right event, right length. Time the piece aloud with your pauses. Limits are maximums.
- Words exactly as printed. Our texts are printed exactly; keep them that way, even when casting crosses gender.
- Nothing but chairs. No props or costumes at Thespys. Each teacher box says how to mime every object.
- Slate correctly. Your name(s), troupe number and the title of the play. Never the title of this book.
- Bring the source. Public-domain plays are eligible at Thespys without appearing on the Approved Materials List.
A Pairing Guide and a teacher rubric are at the back of the book. Rules were checked against each organization’s official 2026–27 rules on November 3, 2026. Rules change every season, so confirm with your chapter, league or tournament before you enter.
The editor
Sean Cercone
Founder and CEO of Dramallama and The Licensing House. Former Artistic Director of the West Virginia Shakespeare Festival, with an MFA in Acting from West Virginia University. He is also a playwright.
From the editor
Use these pieces in class, in showcases and in competition. Above all, use them to help your students discover that this writing was made to be played.
Your rights
Perform it, print it, no permission needed
The plays are public domain
Every play and translation was first published in 1930 or earlier and is in the public domain in the United States. Perform them without paying a royalty. Rights were checked for the United States only.
One purchase covers one school
Teachers, staff and students at your school may print and copy any part of the book, as often as you need, for classes, rehearsals, auditions and performances.
Please keep it in your building
Don’t post the PDF online or share it with other schools. Each school needs its own copy. That keeps new books like this coming.
Pricing
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Classic Monologues for the High School Stage
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Quick answers
Questions teachers ask
Do we owe royalties to perform these?
No. Every play and translation in the book was first published in 1930 or earlier and is in the public domain in the United States, so you can perform it in class, in showcases, at festivals and in auditions without a royalty. If you are outside the United States, check the status where you are.
Can I make copies for my students?
Yes. One purchase covers one school. Teachers, staff and students at that school may print and copy any part of the book as often as they need. Please don’t post the PDF online or share it with other schools.
Are the speeches cut or changed?
No. Every speech is a continuous, uncut passage printed exactly as its edition prints it. That is what festival rules require.
Will these work for Thespys?
Yes, as printed, for the events in the Competition Guide above. We checked the 2026–27 rules on November 3, 2026. Rules change every season, so confirm with your chapter before you enter.
I have a Dramallama plan. Do I need to buy this?
No. Every One-Act Flex, Llama and Dramallama U plan includes the whole Teacher Toolkit. Log in and the download buttons appear at the top of this page. Solo plans don’t include it.
Can I pay with a purchase order?
Yes. Choose Purchase order at checkout and we email you an invoice. Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay orders download right away.
