The intended meanings of a monologue, scene, and script are the ideas, emotions, themes, and messages that the playwright (and subsequently the production) aim to communicate to the audience. These are not arbitrary — they are encoded in the text through language, structure, character, and imagery, and it is your task as an interpreter to decode, honour, and/or extend them.
KEY TAKEAWAY: Intended meanings are the “why” of theatre. Understanding them is the difference between performing at a script and interpreting through one.
The literal, narrative level — the plot events, the stated dialogue, the observable actions.
What the characters feel, want, or fear beneath the surface of the dialogue. Often the most dramatically powerful layer.
The ideas, questions, or arguments the play puts forward. What is the playwright exploring about human nature, society, or experience?
Objects, spaces, actions, or characters that stand for something beyond themselves — symbolic layers of meaning.
EXAM TIP: When writing about intended meanings, address all four levels. Surface meaning alone demonstrates only plot comprehension; thematic and symbolic meaning demonstrates interpretive sophistication.
To identify intended meanings:
For your specific monologue, identify:
| Question | Analytical Purpose |
|---|---|
| What does the character want in this speech? | Immediate objective and subtext |
| What is the character really saying beneath the words? | Subtext and repression |
| What does this moment mean for the character’s arc? | Structural and thematic function |
| What does the playwright want the audience to understand here? | Intended thematic meaning |
| What emotional response is this moment designed to provoke? | Audience impact |
Interpreting intended meanings does not mean you must be a passive conduit for the playwright’s vision. You can:
- Emphasise certain meanings over others
- Interrogate the assumptions within the text
- Use recontextualisation to generate new meaning
However, you must always be able to justify your choices in relation to what the text contains. Distortion means imposing meaning on the text that cannot be supported; interpretation means activating meaning that is latent within it.
COMMON MISTAKE: Describing only the surface plot when asked about intended meanings. “The character tells their mother they are leaving” is plot. “The character’s departure symbolises the impossibility of inherited identity and the necessity of self-creation” is intended meaning.
APPLICATION: In your written work, use the phrase “the intended meaning of this moment is…” to make the analytical operation explicit and assessable.
