SoliloquySoliloquy is an audible oratory or conversation with oneself. It is a term that is typically applied to theatrical characters engaged in a monologue, but can also be a term that is simply descriptive of any occurrence when one talks with oneself. Soliloquy can take the form of a dramatic or comedic monologue that is illusory (or abstractly hallucinagenic or dreamlike) of either a single passage or an entire series of unspoken reflections, and can therefore be a theatrical technique instrumental in advancing several ideas and thoughts in one sequence. In theater, a soliloquy is performed by a single actor on the stage, but more commonly in modern theater, the actor delivers the soliloquy in a sequence known as an "aside." Writers such as Shakespeare used the soliloquy to great effect in order to express aloud to audiences some of the personal thoughts and emotions of his characters without specifically resorting to third-person narration. The English version of the word "soliloquy" comes from the relatively late Latin root word "soliloquium," which is a direct derivation from the singular Latin word 'solus' meaning 'alone,' in addition to 'loqui' meaning 'to speak.