Here are some example monologues Here are some example monologues. You can use these as models for your own monologues about The Walking Dead.

#which character would have similar emotions What emotions might Rick have while wondering if his family is alive? How does he feel when he finds them? How does Rick feel towards Shane at first? What conflicts do they have later? How does Shane really feel about Rick’s survival? How does Shane feel towards Lori and Carl? How does Carl feel about Rick’s arrival? What does Carl feel towards Shane? Finally, who will he choose – Shane or Rick? How does Lori feel when Rick arrives? What does she feel for Shane?

#1, 2, and 3 Macbeth Macbeth is torn between loyalty to his king and his own ambition to be king. In this monologue he decides to murder the king, but has doubts. Consider: How are Shane’s loyalties conflicted? Lori’s? Carl’s? Rick’s?

How would Shane say this? If this business would really be finished when I did the deed, then it would be best to get it over with quickly. If the assassination of the king could work like a net, sweeping up everything and preventing any consequences, then the murder would be the be-all and end-all of the whole affair, and I would gladly put my soul and the afterlife at risk to do it.

What weapon has Shane chosen? What if this was Carl speaking?! Is this a dagger I see in front of me, with its handle pointing toward my hand? (to the dagger)Come, let me hold you. (he grabs at the air in front of him without touching anything) I don’t have you but I can still see you.  Fateful apparition, isn’t it possible to touch you as well as see you? Or are you nothing more than a dagger created by the mind, a hallucination from my fevered brain?  I can still see you, and you look as real as this other dagger that I’m pulling out now. (he draws a dagger)  You’re leading me toward the place I was going already, and I was planning to use a weapon just like you.

For Carl? But now I’ve had my fill of real horrors. Horrible things are so familiar that they can’t startle me. She would have died later anyway. That news was bound to come someday. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. The days creep slowly along until the end of time.

#4 Othello “The course of true love never did run smooth.” A Midsummer Night’s Dream Shakespeare Othello recounts the story of how Desdemona fell in love with him. Consider: How did Lori meet Rick? Consider: How has Shane come to love Lori? Does Lori feel the same?

It’s Shane talking about Lori It’s Shane talking about Lori! Alternately, this is Lori describing how she met Rick. In the meantime I’ll tell you all, as honestly as I confess my sins to God, how I wooed this beautiful lady, and how she came to love me. Her father loved me and used to invite me to his house often, continually asking me about my life and all the battles I’ve fought. I told him everything, from my boyhood up until the time when I was talking to him. I told him about unfortunate disasters, hair-raising adventures on sea and on land, and near-catastrophes and dangerous adventures I’ve been through. I told him how I was captured and sold as a slave, how I bought my freedom, and how I wandered through caves and deserts.

#5 Ophelia Ophelia expresses her concern for Hamlet whom she thinks may be going insane. Consider: Does Lori have the same concerns for Shane? Consider: Carl may also wonder about the craziness of his apocalyptic world. He may even wonder if the adults are going crazy.

How would Lori say this about Shane? Father, I was up in my room sewing when Hamlet came in with no hat on his head, his shirt unbuttoned, and his stockings dirty, undone, and down around his ankles. He was pale as his undershirt, and his knees were knocking together. He looked so out of sorts, as if he’d just come back from hell.

#6 Hamlet wonders if life is worth all its suffering. OK, this is actually a soliloquy where the character speaks to himself and not to an audience. It still works. Consider: Rick too may be wondering if life is worth the struggle, especially without his family and then with Shane’s betrayal. Consider: Lori may have doubts about the sacrifices she has made to survive.

Is this Rick at the beginning of his journey Is this Rick at the beginning of his journey? Does he change his attitude later? After all, who would put up with all life’s humiliations—the abuse from superiors, the insults of arrogant men, the pangs of unrequited love, the inefficiency of the legal system, the rudeness of people in office, and the mistreatment good people have to take from bad—when you could simply take out your knife and call it quits? Who would choose to grunt and sweat through an exhausting life, unless they were afraid of something dreadful after death, the undiscovered country from which no visitor returns, which we wonder about without getting any answers from and which makes us stick to the evils we know rather than rush off to seek the ones we don’t? Fear of death makes us all cowards, and our natural boldness becomes weak with too much thinking.

Some monologue tips Always write in first person – I Use situations from the graphic novel Give evidence to support your character’s feelings Give evidence to support your character’s decisions

Write the first part of your monologue. In the beginning…. What has happened to your character? What were his/her battles – physical and emotional?

Write the middle of your monologue. Now your character should pour out his/her heart to the audience. Tell us how you really feel. What inner demons are plaguing you? What choices must your character make?

Write the end of your monologue. Tell us your character’s final decision. Tell us what your character has come to realize about himself/herself. Tell us what your character has come to realize about others. About life.

Write the big closing. What does your character want the audience to understand?