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Does anyone know where this monologue is from?

23 replies

Gretelmonologue · 01/05/2026 21:26

My daughter is interested in doing this monologue for her LAMDA exam. The problem is we have no idea of it's origin, so no idea if it comes within the rules. Can anybody help? I am typing from memory so might not be 100 percent perfect:

They say fairytales are sweet, but the first time I saw that house, covered in sugar, glittering with candy, I felt something cold in my stomach. Sweet things aren't always good, sometimes they're bait.

We were starving, abandoned in the forest. Hansel tried to be brave dropping pebbles, then crumbs, hoping we could find our way back. But crumbs don't last long in the dark and then there she was, the woman with eyes like burned sugar. Too calm, too still. She fed us, fattened us, waited. I didn't want to believe it, but when she locked Hansel in that cage the truth snapped into focus. No one came to save us. So I did. I pusher her into the oven. Her screams still echo sometimes. I tell myself it was self defence, that I did what I had to, but sometimes I wonder how much of that fire still burns inside me.

OP posts:
FedUpOfThisGCSEmalarkey · 01/05/2026 21:28

Surely it’s a retelling of Hansel and Gretel? But not the original script

HugoThatway · 01/05/2026 21:29

It's grim.

Flannelfeet · 01/05/2026 21:33

HugoThatway · 01/05/2026 21:29

It's grim.

Was that not actually on the telly? Grim tales? Sure my wee ones used to love that.

HugoThatway · 01/05/2026 21:37

It's Grimm's fairy tale Hansel & Gretel but I don't know where the monologue is from

EmeraldRoulette · 01/05/2026 21:38

Oh, there was a version of this with Robert Carlyle. Could it be from there? I didn't actually watch it so I don't know.

Flannelfeet · 01/05/2026 21:42

EmeraldRoulette · 01/05/2026 21:38

Oh, there was a version of this with Robert Carlyle. Could it be from there? I didn't actually watch it so I don't know.

Once upon a time...I bloody loved that series, had to watch it again with my little girl. He played rumpelstiltskin.(spelling?).

ForestHare · 01/05/2026 21:43

Could it be from.ome of the twisted fairy tales?

jen337 · 01/05/2026 22:00

HugoThatway · 01/05/2026 21:29

It's grim.

Come on, it’s not that bad.

Gretelmonologue · 01/05/2026 22:57

Thanks for all the suggestions. I don't think these are where it's from, but thank you for taking the time.

OP posts:
Gretelmonologue · 01/05/2026 23:02

Apart from obviously it's a retailing of the Brother's Grimm Fairytale Hansel and Gretel. But where the specific monologue is from and who the author of the retelling is. I'm hoping someone recognises it.

OP posts:
HugoThatway · 01/05/2026 23:03

They're not but I thought the links might be helpful.

Where might your DD have heard/seen/read it?

SilenceInside · 01/05/2026 23:05

Could it be from the film Gretel & Hansel: A Grim Fairy Tale, directed by Oz Perkins, from 2020?

Gretelmonologue · 01/05/2026 23:42

@HugoThatway One of her acting classes were doing monologues on week a while back. It was given out just with the title Gretel Monologue. I have asked the teacher where she got it from and she doesn't remember. This teacher doesn't teach LAMDA so not linked to the exam. So unfortunately no help.

The fact the monologue is spoken in past tense and summarises a lot of the story in a short space of time, makes me believe it is likely it was written specifically for a monologue performance, rather than a film or TV series.

OP posts:
Lurkingandlearning · Yesterday 00:46

Have you tried typing it into AI?

Boreded · Yesterday 00:52

Deleted because I disproved myself

Gretelmonologue · Yesterday 19:07

@Lurkingandlearning Thanks fir the suggestion. Yes put it into AI. It gave me a whole lot of waffle that essentially meant it didn't know where it was from. It then rather unhelpfully told me to be careful using it for LAMDA as there are strict rules and that I would need to know where it was from. Yes AI that is why I'm asking you where it's from.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions, I think she'll have to find something else (she's got plenty of time). It's a shame as she acts this monologue so well. It really hits me emotional every time she performs it. I struggle to get her to do more serious emotional pieces as she's a sensitive soul, but she does them to well. She actually really took to this one, but tends to go for more comic pieces.

OP posts:
Lurkingandlearning · Today 03:50

Ah, I'm sorry AI didn't help. Do people still say, "Break a leg" to actors? I hope it all goes really well for her on the day, whichever monologue she chooses.

Monty27 · Today 04:14

King lear?

qwert987 · Today 05:31

Is it from the Carol Ann Duffy & Tim Supple adaptation of the Grimm Tales at the Young Vic?

Telemichus · Today 06:43

It actually reads like an AI generated slop piece tbh. I think you could find something better.

MyTrivia · Today 06:45

Telemichus · Today 06:43

It actually reads like an AI generated slop piece tbh. I think you could find something better.

I agree.

paint101 · Today 08:07

Have you got the exact wording? You might have changed it quite a lot if you’re typing from memory.

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