1918-2018: 100 Years of Theatre Research in Iași 161 DOI number https://doi.org/10.2478/9783110653823-019 The Monologue in the Dramatic Text and in the Performance Antonella CORNICI Faculty of Theatre, George Enescu National University of Arts, Iaşi Abstract: The roots of the word monologue can be found in the Antique Theatre: monologos = monos (alone), logos (speech); a word-for-word direct translation would be “to talk alone”. Thus, we can define the monologue as a speech with oneself. In the dramatic text, the monologue is the speech of a character that does not necessarily address an interlocutor, does not expect an answer, that unveils oneself, that confesses. The monologue distinguishes itself from the dialogue through the absence of a verbal exchange of comebacks and of a second character. Even though a monologue can be a form of dialogue between the character and their conscious or their soul, the answers coming through silences or words heard only by the character in question. Key words: monologue, plawrighting, performance, William Shakespeare. The roots of the word monologue can be found in the Antique Theatre: monologos = monos (alone), logos (speech); a word-for-word direct translation would be “to talk alone”. Thus, we can define the monologue as a speech with oneself. In the dramatic text, the monologue is the speech of a character that does not necessarily address an interlocutor, does not expect an answer, that unveils oneself, that confesses. The monologue distinguishes itself from the dialogue through the absence of a verbal exchange of comebacks and of a second character. Even though a monologue can be a form of dialogue between the character and their conscious or their soul, the answers coming through silences or words heard only by the character in question. Analysing the monologue, Anne Ubersfeld found it to be “a form of theatrical speech that implies the absence of the interlocutor, the receiver being