The Inheritance
Toby monologue from The Inheritance
- Play
- Matthew Lopez
- Men
- Playing age 20s–30s
- About 1:15
- Dramatic
Toby’s monologue from the play The Inheritance by Matthew Lopez. A dramatic piece for men with a playing age of 20s–30s, running about 1:15.
The setup
Toby turns on Eric, the partner who supported him for years, and rejects the idea that he owes Eric anything for the life he built.
The full speech. Read it out loud twice before you start working it.
Toby’s monologue
That is bullshit, Eric. What you ‘gave’ me? You didn’t give me anything. I built my life from the ground up. I didn’t get to do it from the comfortable middle-class perch that you did. Oh fuck off! I am so sick of your holier-than-thou, thoughtful, sweet and kind fucking bullshit. You act like you’re above the fray, can’t be touched, fucking Yale, fucking Fieldston, fucking save the world by strongly worded Facebook post, when secretly you’re just as manipulative and as self-involved and as frightened as the rest of us. But you slap on this veneer of middle-class perfection and you think that protects you from having to be a real person. But real people are ugly, Eric. Real people are compromised. Real people disappoint each other. Because the world is ugly and compromised and disappointing. And I’m sorry I can’t be perfect like you. I was never given that option. I have no choice but to be a real person.
Excerpt for study and audition practice. Read the full play for context.
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About The Inheritance
- Matthew Lopez's two-part play was inspired by E. M. Forster's novel Howards End.
- It premiered at the Young Vic in London in 2018 and won the Tony Award for Best Play.
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