A soliloquy is a literary device most popular among playwrights. A character expresses their thoughts and feelings without speaking to any of the other characters. In the play Wit, author Margaret Edson uses soliloquy as a tool to demonstrate the feelings of the main character, Vivian Bearing, who often breaks the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience. Margaret Edson uses soliloquy to give Vivian Bearing the opportunity to express what she is feeling and thinking throughout the play. By using soliloquy, Margaret Edson manages to invoke sympathy, rather than pity, from the audience towards the constant struggle Vivian faces. Rather than simply watching Vivian suffer through her painful ordeals, they are subjected to vivid memories of her suffering as she exposes her thoughts to the audience. Since this is a play, some would say that Edson's use of soliloquy is not very effective because the audience sees Vivian's pain with their own eyes. However, the soliloquies undoubtedly add to the viewer's experience as Vivian breaks the fourth wall to express her feelings and describe the agony she faces. Without Vivian's monologues, the audience would be able to see Vivian suffering, but they would not be able to truly empathize with her. By putting Vivian's torment into words rather than acting it out on stage, Edson causes the main character to transcend the stage and become a presence that the audience can understand rather than a fictional character that the viewer pities. important and informative monologue. In the opening monologue, Vivian Bearing establishes her character and intrigue while introducing the audience to her situation. L...... middle of paper ...... uh than sympathize with her as more than just a character on stage. The audience therefore witnesses the collapse of a strong and independent character as her torments get the better of her. Margaret Edson sets up Vivian's soliloquies in such a way as to follow the character's decadence. In the preceding monologues, Vivian establishes herself as a great literary scholar with a huge ego. However, throughout the play, audiences are exposed to increasingly morbid passages in which Vivian breaks the fourth wall in order to speak directly to the audience to convey her ever-increasing affliction. As the play progresses, we witness Vivian's destruction as her circumstances get the better of her. Margaret Edson's use of soliloquies greatly helps the audience capture the essence of Vivian Bearing's suffering. Works Cited Edson, Margaret. With a play. London: Faber & Faber, 1999. Print.