I think one of the most poignant ones is the monologue of the title character in Richard II. In act 3 , scene 3, he has a painful speech renouncing his crown ("what must the king do now?"). It can be done as a tragic breakdown. He feels betrayed by his subjects and humiliated at being stripped of what he feels is his God-given right to be king, plus he knows that as an ex-monarch he is a threat to the new King Henry, and as a result, this is probably a death sentence. It can be played with madness, anger, despair or a mix of all three emotions. A great scene that has a lot of dramatic possibilities.
Or if you want a woman's scene, I have always like Katherine of Aragon's address to Henry VIII in the play of that name, (act II scene 4) where she kneels before him and pleads for him not to divorce her. It's sad and touching and a desperate act by woman still in love with her husband and wanting to save her marriage, her honor, her crown and her daughter's legitimacy and place in the royal succession.
Updated On: 5/11/14 at 10:46 PM