Monologues for women: classical speeches, shortest first

Speeches by women characters, timed from the exact text, each with a guide to every line.

The Offbook team

Oct 18, 2026

These are speeches written for women characters, from a young woman alone on a balcony to the queen of the fairies answering her husband’s jealousy. Each page has the full text, how long it runs, where to cut it, and a guide that explains every line in plain English.

The list mixes comedy and tragedy, so you can find a pair that contrasts: one speech that is light and quick, one that is dark and still.

The monologues, shortest first

Listed here: speeches by characters who are women in the play as written. Viola spends most of Twelfth Night disguised as a young man, but she is a woman, so her speech is here. If a notice welcomes any speech regardless of the character’s gender, the full list has more.

Monologue	Play	Lines	Run time
Juliet: “’Tis but thy name that is my enemy” (What’s in a name?)	Romeo and Juliet	12	36 seconds
Ophelia: “O, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!”	Hamlet	12	42 seconds
Lady Macbeth: “The raven himself is hoarse”	Macbeth	17	54 seconds
Helena: “How happy some o’er other some can be!”	A Midsummer Night’s Dream	26	1.4 minutes
Viola: “I left no ring with her”	Twelfth Night	25	1.4 minutes
Titania: “These are the forgeries of jealousy”	A Midsummer Night’s Dream	37	1.8 minutes

Run times are the words of each speech at a conversational 150 words a minute, before pauses, counted from the full text of public domain editions from Standard Ebooks. To time your own pace, paste a speech into the monologue timer.

How to choose one for an audition

Start with the time limit in the casting notice. Pick a speech that runs a little under it at a natural pace, so you never have to rush the end.
Choose a character you could be cast as now, close to your age and in a situation you understand.
Look for a turn: a moment where the character changes their mind or makes a decision. A speech that only describes gives you nothing to play.
Know who you are talking to. A speech aimed at another character, or straight at the audience, gives you someone to change.
If the notice asks for two pieces, pair contrasting ones; see how to choose contrasting monologues. Need it shorter? Read how to cut a monologue.

About each speech

Juliet: “’Tis but thy name that is my enemy” (What’s in a name?)

Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2 · Verse · about 36 seconds at 150 words a minute

Juliet, alone on the balcony, argues that a name is only a word. Romeo is listening, but she does not know it. It is short, which makes it a good first classical piece.

Ophelia: “O, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!”

Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1 · Verse · about 42 seconds at 150 words a minute

Ophelia, left alone after Hamlet’s attack in the nunnery scene, mourns the man he was. It is short and complete in itself, which makes it a common classical audition piece.

Lady Macbeth: “The raven himself is hoarse”

Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 5 · Verse · about 54 seconds at 150 words a minute

Lady Macbeth hears that Duncan will stay the night and calls on dark spirits to strip away her pity. It is short and intense, and one of the most requested classical pieces for women.

Helena: “How happy some o’er other some can be!”

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 1, Scene 1 · Verse · about 1.4 minutes at 150 words a minute

Helena, alone, complains that Demetrius loves Hermia, and decides to tell him about the lovers’ escape. It is rhymed and funny-sad, and a popular comic piece for women.

Viola: “I left no ring with her”

Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 2 · Verse · about 1.4 minutes at 150 words a minute

Viola realizes that Olivia has fallen for her disguise. It is a thinking-aloud soliloquy with a comic tangle at its heart, and one of the most-used classical pieces for women.

Titania: “These are the forgeries of jealousy”

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 2, Scene 1 · Verse · about 1.8 minutes at 150 words a minute

Titania answers Oberon’s accusations: their quarrel has thrown the seasons out of order. It is a long, image-rich speech that needs strong breath control.

More monologue lists

Questions actors ask

What is the shortest monologue for women on this list?

Juliet’s ’Tis but thy name that is my enemy (What’s in a name?) (Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2): 12 lines and 93 words, about 36 seconds at 150 words a minute. The longest is Titania’s These are the forgeries of jealousy (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 2, Scene 1), about 1.8 minutes.

Which monologues for women run a minute or less?

Juliet’s ’Tis but thy name that is my enemy (What’s in a name?) (about 36 seconds); Ophelia’s O, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown! (about 42 seconds); Lady Macbeth’s The raven himself is hoarse (about 54 seconds). Times are speech only, so add a few seconds for pauses and check the casting notice for its limit.

How did you decide which speeches are for women?

By the character as the play writes her: each speech here belongs to a woman in the play. We do not guess. A character whose gender is open to the production is left off both this list and the list for men.