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Situational Irony
Definition of Soliloquy
A soliloquy is a literary device, most often found in dramas, in which a character speaks to him or herself, relating his or her innermost thoughts and feelings as if... read full definition
A soliloquy is a literary device, most often found in dramas, in which a character speaks to him or herself, relating his or her innermost... read full definition
A soliloquy is a literary device, most often found in dramas, in which a character speaks to him or herself... read full definition
Key Examples in North and South
Chapter 23
Explanation and Analysis—"I Walk Pure Before God":
Alone after defending Mr. Thornton from the rioters at Marlborough Mills, and knowing people are accusing her of doing this out of romantic motives, Margaret speaks her distress aloud in a soliloquy:
"It was not fair," said she, vehemently, "that he should stand there—sheltered, awaiting the soldiers, who might catch those poor maddened creatures as in a trap—without an effort on his part, to bring them to reason. And it was worse than unfair for them to set on him as they threatened. I would do it again, let who will say what they like of me. If I saved one blow, one cruel, angry action that might otherwise have been committed, I did a woman’s work. Let them insult my maiden pride as they will—I walk pure before God!"
Related Themes:
Chapter 46
Explanation and Analysis—Hope for Helstone:
The morning after Margaret's melancholy visit to her home village, the novel uses a soliloquy to show how Margaret's perspective has shifted regarding all the changes in Helstone.
Unlock with LitCharts A+‘After all it is right,’ said she, hearing the voices of children at play while she was dressing. ‘If the world stood still, it would retrograde and become corrupt, if that is not Irish. Looking out of myself, and my own painful sense of change, the progress all around me is right and necessary. I must not think so much of how circumstances affect me myself, but how they affect others, if I wish to have a right judgment, or a hopeful trustful heart.’
Related Themes:
