Monologue/ Dialogue

- J dominates the conversation throughout the whole play, barely lets P get in a word edgeways
- The begnnning especially seems more like an interview than a conversation - J asks a lot of questions
- Highlights the absurdity of the play - they have already shared very personal things before even knowing each others' names.

Peter doesn't have any monologues whilst Jerry has several - places the emphasis on Jerry's emotions (perhaps overcompensating for the fact that no one else really listens to him inc. society). It's also mainly through monologues that Albee uses meta-theatre because it makes the audience feel as if J is speaking directly to them.

In general all of Jerry's speaking parts are longer than Peter's.

1st Monologue:
Idea - Supposed to highlight to P the reality of J's life, may be being used as a tool to manipulate P in to creating stereotypes about J in order to validate his own belief that he is being wrongfully judged by society.

"The old pigeon-hole bit? Well, that's easy" - proceeds to (maybe?) play up his situation to P's expectations, make the audience feel sorry for him
Descriptions of his living situation - encourages sympathy and highlights the monotony of J's life, also contrasts him with P

2nd Monologue:
Idea - Seems to be directed more towards the audience
- Insight in to Jerry's emotions
- The first idea of how difficult and isolated Jerry's life is, and how alienated he feels.

(As if reading from a huge billboard) "The Story of Jerry and the Dog." - Setting up the entire speech as a play within a play, also warns the audience that perhaps not everything Jerry is about to say is sincere, also creates a stark contrast to when he loses control later on in the speech.
"Animals are indifferent to me - like people"
"I was offended...so, I decided to kill the dog" - J doesn't know how to control his emotions very well
"When I try to simplify things; people look up"
He has odd ideas of what is socially acceptable and what isn't "you can't say, 'A dog I know; without sounding funny" but he doesn't find it odd that he's going to murder a dog.
(Peter seems hypnotised) - Meta-theatre
(he is abnormally tense, now)
" with love, with vomiting, with crying, with fury" - For one of the first times Jerry is speaking in length without measuring what he's saying and what P's reaction will be
"Do you think I could see that story...make a couple of hundred bucks" He is trying to trivialise what he just said, make it seem like an act. Yet the audience don't know whether or not it was.

	Created by cynthia.anyadi almost 9 years ago

The Zoo Story - E. Albee

Monologue/ Dialogue