Sad Dramatic Monologues about Grieving, Dying, Loss and Grief
These dramatic monologues are deep, intense sad, painful and allow actors to explore strong inner conflict, turmoil, struggle, guilt. Through these powerful monologues, actors have the opportunity to explore outstanding characters and drama, but also to impact their audience in a memorable way—whether leaving them in tears, giving them chills or making them reflect. From a woman feeling immense guilt, to feeling empowered with grief and rage, to contemplating life after a loved one is gone, these dramatic monologues give beautiful depth to actors’ emotional territory.
SAD MONOLOGUES ABOUT GRIEVING, LOSS, DEATH, GRIEF
A BREAK FROM REMEMBERING
Cassie is grieving the loss of the love of her life, Owen, and she needs a break from the consuming grief that swallows up all the good memories she has of him.
Details: around 3 minutes, female (male/any gender)
BLESSINGS
Ian attends a Grief Counseling Group Session and speaks to the other participants. He confronts the whispered notion that it was a blessing that he and his wife did not have children before she died.
Details: around 2 minutes, male
BIRTHDAY BALLOONS
Adelaide, suffering from a terminal illness, speaks to her best friend in her bedroom. She wants to give her a son as special birthday, but also feels the hopelessness of her situation.
Details: around 2 minutes, female (male/any gender)
COMPREHENDING FOREVER
Alan’s wife has recently died. His brother, Joe, has stopped by to see him. Alan wonders if it is normal to keep asking where his wife is in moments that remind him of her. His brain hurts trying to comprehend the reality that she is gone.
Details: around 2 minutes, male (female/any gender)
BUDDY’S MOMMY
Cali is a mother of a young boy, Buddy. She has killed someone she thought was endangering Buddy. Now she is imploring her son to remember that she is a good mother, one who loves him and would protect him, not to think of her as an evil murderer as she may soon be depicted. She pleads her final motherly words as she hears the sirens and police cars drawing nearer.
Details: around 2 minutes, female, 20s-50s
FIND ME
Yearning for her deceased husband, Elizabeth embarks on a chilling quest to bring him closer to her…
Details: around 5-10 minutes, female, late teens-30s, 1850s
20 MAGICAL MINUTES
Joffrey, a raccoon who has just lost his life partner, explains to his friend, Grace, how he met this love of his life in a truck engine on a rainy day…
Details: around 1 minute, male (could be any gender)
From the play, 20 MAGICAL MINUTES OF DARKNESS AND SILENCE AND PEACE.
HOLDING ON TIGHTLY
Clare opens up to Grief personified about several tragedies and implores him to explain how this keeps happening to her.
Details: around 1.5-2 minutes, female
From the play, THE VISITOR IN THE DOORWAY.
COVERING MY EARS
Whitney is in the bathroom, envisioning the calmness, peace and escape covering her ears in the shower gives her, before the abrupt harshness of reality comes when she uncovers her ears.
Details: around , around 2 minutes, female (male/any gender)
ABHAY AND THE BANANA
Abhay relives the moment he loses his mother and home, and what that means to him and his baby sister.
Details: around 2 minutes, male (could be female/any gender)
From the full-length play, FOR MY SILENT SISTERS
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE LAMP
Janine recounts her dying mother’s request to not to anything fancy when she visits, but just simply “talk.”
Details: around 5 minutes, 20s-50s, female (could be any gender/male)
THOSE BLACKS STREAKS
Veronica’s mother always advised her to wear makeup before leaving the house: it would make her feel and look better. But now that Veronica is grieving her mother’s death, she feels betrayed by the mascara that mixes with tears to leave ugly black streaks on her face.
Details: around 1-2 minutes, female
GIVING YOU SPACE
Personified Grief lays out some hard truths to his “client,” the bereaved Clare: she needs to start eating and accepting help and letting people (and him) into her life again—or she will die also.
Details: around 30 seconds to 1 minute, male (could be any gender), 20s-40s
From the play, THE VISITOR IN THE DOORWAY.
CRISPY LEAVES
After a physical run-in with a florist, Lexy visits her mother’s grave, informing her of a change she is making.
Details: around 2-2.5 minutes, female
GROWING UP TREACHEROUSLY
Set in the 1800s, Mrs. Grant tries to comfort her teenage daughter about the realities of growing up and witnessing death—and the hope that the joys of loving someone will always outweigh the pain of losing them.
Details: around 2.5 minutes, female, period piece/1800s
NO RELEASE
Melinda speaks to her friend about how crying gives her no release from the pain, as it is supposed to.
Details: around 2-2.5 minutes minutes, female/male/any gender)
STRAWBERRY YOGURT CUPS GOING BAD IN THE FRIDGE
After Clare begs Personified Grief to leave her alone, Grief lays out the hard truth that he’d rather not have to tell her…that he is going to be hanging around her every second of every day for a very long time.
Details: around 30 seconds to 1 minute, Male (or any gender)
From the play, THE VISITOR IN THE DOORWAY
RISING FAST
Elizabeth reveals terrible news to her mother after a flood has devastated their town.
Details: around 2.5 minutes, female (male/any gender)
THE NICEST WORST CLUB
Julie, a married woman with children, speaks to her friend, Jan, about not wanting to be part of a club of very nice women (who have all lost a husband).
Details: around 2-2.5 minutes, female
ENGULF THE EVIL ASHES
Tasaria has witnessed the murder of her dear friend, and through her grief, builds rage to resist and escape.
Details: around 2.5 minutes, female, older teen through young adult.
*This monologue contains references to human trafficking and violence.
From the full-length play, FOR MY SILENT SISTERS
DON’T CLOSE THE DOOR
Abigail, a ghost in Stephanie’s closet, relays the tragedies which have left her there, and implores Stephanie to help end her heartbreaking torture.
Details: around 10 minutes, female
MUCH LESS ROOM
Personified Grief tries to give Clare a bit of Hope that the intensity that he brings will not last forever, that Hope will come again, and that he will eventually, take up much less space in her life.
Details: around 30 seconds to 1 minute, female
From the play, THE VISITOR IN THE DOORWAY.
HER MOUTH IS MOVING
Meghan has murdered a “frenemie” out of rage and now faces terrible guilt and horror at what she has done. And she’s concerned the corpse’s mouth is moving…
Details: around 1-2 minutes, female
HIS FIRST ENGLISH WORDS
Grace is a Catholic widow who takes in a Jewish refugee child in the 1940s who has lost his family and home. She knows very little of his experience, culture, or language and strives to find a way to connect with him.
Details: around 5-10 minutes, 40s-60s, female.
From the play, THE VICTORY GARDEN PLAYS
SOON TO COME:
Until You're Ready
Grief's Pop-Ins
Killing Hope