Shakespeare and the History of Soliloquies

This study provides a systematic and comprehensive account of conventions governing soliloquies in Western drama, through analysis of the practices of dramatists from antiquity through the twentieth century. Hirsh (English, Georgia State U.) discusses the three types of soliloquies, their frequency of appearance, and the remarkably precise and complex set of rules governing their use. The study refutes longstanding understandings about soliloquies in general, and about Shakespeare's "To be, or not to be" episode in particular. The book is distributed by Associated University Presses. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR