How To Make A Dramatic Monologue

This sample paper on How To Make A Dramatic Monologue offers a framework of relevant facts based on the recent research in the field. Read the introductory part, body and conclusion of the paper below.

‘A Cream Cracker under the Settee’ is a dramatic monologue. A dramatic monologue is a drama piece performed by only one person. By examining the characterisation, humour, timescale and pauses of this monologue this essay will look at the ways Alan Bennett holds the interest of the audience.

Characterisation is shown through voices and memory. Doris is the central character in the monologue. She is a 75-year-old down to earth, Yorkshire widow. She is a conscientious lady who, throughout her life has taken a pride in keeping her home spotlessly clean and tidy.

She disapproves of Zulema, her home help sent in by the council, doing household chores that she has always managed to do. Doris has high standards where cleanliness is concerned and she is upset that Zulemas work does not meet these standards.

In Doris’s opinion, Zulema only half dusts and Doris is upset to find things that she would never miss being missed. For example Doris finds dust on top of her wedding photo that has been missed by Zulema. Doris never did like untidyness even when she was younger. This is shown through her recollection of conversations with her late husband, Wilfred.

How To Write An Effective Monologue

The reason for Doris not wanting a garden was because she thought the trees, plants etc would create mess by dropping their leaves.

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Wilfred wanting a garden complete with bush caused great debate. ‘Is it a bush that will make a mess’ Doris asks. From hygiene point of view Doris would be happier with concrete. Although Wilfred argued that concrete lacked character Doris pointed out that it could be kept clean and tidy making Doris feel ‘easy in her mind’. Another way Bennett shows Doris’s dislike for untidiness was when Wilfred expressed a desire to have a dog.

Doris was against having a dog because of the mess it would make with all the dog hairs that would need cleaning up. During their marriage Doris unfortunately had a miss carriage. The midwife came and wrapped the baby in newspaper and Doris never saw him. Wilfred, she thought, just took it in his stride and it was after this he started talking about getting a dog. Doris wished she’d had children particularly a daughter because a daughter would have looked after her and she wouldn’t be where she was now. If she had had children she might not be as miserable or lonely.

There is a strong battle of wills between Doris and Zulema. Doris wants to keep her independence and continue her own cleaning whilst Zulema wants her to forget cleaning and be a lady of leisure. Zulema takes harsh actions and bans Doris from dusting and using the Ewbank. However, Doris is stubborn and houseproud and pays no attention to Zulema. She climbs on to a buffet to examine the cleanliness of her wedding photo and subsequently falls hurting her leg. This makes Doris feel that Zulema is one up because she warned her that this would happen.

While Doris is sat on the floor she notices a cream cracker under the settee. This makes Doris mad because she can’t remember the last time that she’d had cream crackers and obviously Zulema hadn’t cleaned thoroughly under the settee. Doris keeps the cream cracker to show to Zulema the next time she lectures her about Stafford house. To get her own back on Zulema, Doris threatens to send it to, “The director of social services” and put Zulema in the unemployment exchange. Another character referred to in the monologue is Wilfred. Wilfred is Doris’s late husband.

When Doris reminisces about Wilfred she often add a small joke to help keep the audience interested in Doris’s situation. Wilfred and Doris were different in character. Doris was the busy one keeping the home clean and tidy and Wilfred was very laid back with lots of little job to do that were never accomplished. Wilfred always told Doris not to worry when things needed doing, ” He’d put it on his list”. However Doris never saw this list and consequently jobs never got done. A good example of this was the loose sneck on the gate and the allotment, which would allow them to become self sufficient in the vegetable department.

Neither materialised. Wilfred and Doris didn’t have any children so Doris was lonely after Wilfred’s death. The way in which the language portrays Doris’s age is when she refers to Wilfred. Doris calls Wilfred Dad, Wilfred calls Doris Mum, these terms are often used by the older generation as terms of endearment. Doris’s attitudes towards folk in the neighbourhood also make it clear that she is from an older generation. Her attitude towards the younger generation is that they are disrespectful. For example she says, “would you credit it” when the boy uses her garden as a toilet.

This means that she couldn’t believe what she had seen. When Doris was younger marriage was considered to be a commitment were people stayed together for better or worse and every body in the neighbour hood knew each other. Doris looking out of her window noticed that she doesn’t know any of her neighbours, not even the people opposite and half the couples together aren’t married. Doris comments, “you see all sorts, then you loose track”. The younger generation would not make these comments and would just accept the different types of people and relationships. Doris has a very down to earth sense of humour.

This is portrayed through Doris’s understanding of the irony of life. For example Doris says after Wilfreds death, “He’s got his little garden now”. This is ironic because when Wilfred was alive he never accomplished his goal of having the garden he wanted. Doris also shows humour through one-liners. After the glass on her wedding photo cracked she says, “we’ve cracked Wilfred”. This not only means that the glass has cracked around the picture, she implying that she might have cracked as well. Her Yorkshire dialect and her use of colloquialisms often portray Doris’s humour.

A good example of this is when the boy upsets Doris by using her garden as a toilet she says, “He’s spending a penny” her use of term makes the action humorous. Pauses are used through out the monologue. These are used for effect and to allow the audience time to make sense of Doris’s situation. Longer pauses are used to make an impact on the audience and also allow the audience to reflect on Doris’s situation and understand the impact this has on their own thoughts and feelings. In conclusion Alan Bennett uses four effective ways to keep the audiences interest.

The characterisation of the monologue is effective. The characters recalled through Doris’s memory are kept brief and this brings interest because the audience wants to know more. Doris has a good understanding of the irony of life, in her situation this is comical and interesting bringing in humour. The Yorkshire derelict and use of colloquialisms also adds amusement. By mixing the past and the present the interest of the audience is held and the pauses are used to good effect to build drama and give the audience time to take in what has been said.