# Monologues for women: classical speeches, shortest first > Speeches by women characters, timed from the exact text, each with a guide to every line. - URL: https://www.offbook.com/monologues/for-women - Last updated: 2026-10-18 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](https://www.offbook.com/monologues) has more. | Monologue | Play | Lines | Run time | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Juliet: ’Tis but thy name that is my enemy (What’s in a name?)](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/whats-in-a-name) | Romeo and Juliet | 12 | 36 seconds | | [Ophelia: O, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/o-what-a-noble-mind) | Hamlet | 12 | 42 seconds | | [Lady Macbeth: The raven himself is hoarse](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/the-raven-himself-is-hoarse) | Macbeth | 17 | 54 seconds | | [Helena: How happy some o’er other some can be!](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/how-happy-some) | A Midsummer Night’s Dream | 26 | 1.4 minutes | | [Viola: I left no ring with her](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/i-left-no-ring-with-her) | Twelfth Night | 25 | 1.4 minutes | | [Titania: These are the forgeries of jealousy](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/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](https://www.offbook.com/tools/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](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-choose-contrasting-monologues). Need it shorter? Read [how to cut a monologue](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-cut-a-monologue). ## About each speech ### [Juliet: ’Tis but thy name that is my enemy (What’s in a name?)](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/whats-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!](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/o-what-a-noble-mind) 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](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/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!](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/how-happy-some) 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](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/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](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/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 - [Shakespeare monologues](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/shakespeare) - [Monologues for men](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/for-men) - [Dramatic monologues](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/dramatic) - [Comedic monologues](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/comedic) - [Every monologue in the library, shortest first](https://www.offbook.com/monologues) - [Acting scripts: scenes to practice with a partner](https://www.offbook.com/acting-scripts) ## 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.