Genre
Soliloquy
From Latin solus (alone) + loqui (to speak). A convention of classical drama and Renaissance tragedy; closely related to the dramatic monologue in its revelation of inner states.
Definition
A speech in which a character voices their thoughts aloud as if alone — the dramatic form of the lyric 'I'.
Example
Hamlet's 'To be or not to be' — an extended meditation spoken before an implied (silent) audience.