Lungs (Oberon Modern Plays, 2011) – includes the full text and Macmillan’s note on overlapping dialogue.
This monologue highlights the conflict between her intellectual "good person" identity and her biological impulse. 3. The Post-Miscarriage Monologue
Most monologues in Lungs are delivered by (the female protagonist), whose character is defined by a "virtually uninterrupted" stream of consciousness. 1. The "IKEA" Monologue (Early Play) lungs by duncan macmillan monologue
In this more vulnerable moment, W discusses her lifelong, almost instinctual image of herself as a mother.
Actors should focus on the character's inability to differentiate between internal monologue and vocalized emotion. It requires high energy and the ability to pivot between absurdity and genuine anxiety. 2. The "Desire for a Child" Monologue Lungs (Oberon Modern Plays, 2011) – includes the
Duncan Macmillan’s Lungs is a masterclass in modern, minimalistic drama, famously requiring no set, no props, and no lighting changes to tell the story of a couple navigating the ethics of parenthood. Because the play relies entirely on the actors' voices and bodies, its monologues have become staple audition and performance pieces for actors seeking raw, emotionally complex material. Key Monologues in Lungs
For a :
And a really good breath warm-up.
: M has just "popped the question" about having a baby in an awkward setting (often a queue at IKEA), and W is spiraling as she processes the idea. The Post-Miscarriage Monologue Most monologues in Lungs are
Lungs . It’s the moment where the man, spiraling under the weight of a conversation about having a baby, realizes that his very existence is a carbon footprint. "I’m a good person," Elias began, his voice cracking just enough to mimic the character’s desperate need for validation. "I recycle. I buy fair-trade coffee. I read the long articles in the Sunday papers." As he spoke, the air in the room felt thinner. That’s the magic—and the trap—of Macmillan’s writing. The dialogue is famously written without stage directions or descriptions; it’s just a raw, breathless stream of consciousness. Elias felt the rhythm take over, the words tumbling out like a landslide. He touched on the "ten thousand tons of CO2" a child produces. He spoke about the melting ice caps and the sheer, terrifying ego of bringing a life into a world that was literally burning. But under the environmental data was the real heartbeat of the piece: the fear of being inadequate. The fear that love isn't enough to save a planet, or even a relationship. When he reached the end of the beat, Elias stood still, lungs burning. The silence in the audience was heavy, the kind of quiet that happens when people realize they’ve been holding their breath right along with the actor. He didn't need a backdrop of a crumbling glacier. The words had built the disaster for them. Are you looking for a
Lungs is not a traditional monologue play. It’s better. It’s a failed conversation—which means each character lives entirely inside their own unyielding perspective. For an actor, that’s a gift. You don’t need a scene partner to argue about the apocalypse. You just need the courage to stop pretending you have any answers.