Monologue by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In this dramatic monologue, the elderly Michelangelo finds himself in solitude at his Roman home, contemplating a life filled with unyielding creativity, the loss of loved ones, and the peculiar isolation that comes with surviving beyond your time. He addresses both himself and us, sharing his feelings about aging, fame, and profound loneliness. It's a sincere, reflective exploration of the price of art and the toll that time exacts.

The tone is soft and reflective — the voice of a man who has come to terms with loss but still feels its weight. There's no hint of self-pity, yet a profound weariness underlies every line. Longfellow maintains a conversational style, almost like an elderly man musing aloud, which makes the sadness resonate more deeply than any grand lament could.

Longfellow wrote his dramatic poem *Michael Angelo* (which includes the section "Monologue") during the last decade of his life, with its posthumous publication occurring in 1883. He found a connection with the elderly Michelangelo, reflecting his own life experiences: by the 1870s, Longfellow had outlived his second wife, several close friends, and the literary generation that shaped American literature. Michelangelo himself lived to be 88, outlasting his Renaissance peers, and spent his final years in Rome, working on St. Peter's Basilica mostly in solitude. Longfellow's dramatic style—a monologue set in a private room rather than a public venue—takes inspiration from Robert Browning's notable dramatic monologues, though Longfellow's tone is warmer and less ironic. The poem blends elements of biography, elegy, and self-portrait.