What is a short speech delivered to an audience or another character called?

A short speech delivered to an audience or another character is termed an "aside." This literary device allows a character to speak directly to the audience or to themselves, conveying their thoughts while remaining unheard by other characters on stage. Asides are often used to provide insight into a character's motivations or to share information that the other characters in the scene do not know, thereby enhancing the audience’s understanding of the plot and character dynamics.

In contrast, a monologue involves a single character speaking at length to other characters without interruption, while dialogue consists of an exchange of spoken lines between two or more characters. A soliloquy, although similar to an aside in that it reveals a character's thoughts, is presented when a character is alone on stage, making it more introspective and less direct in terms of audience engagement. Thus, the specific nature of an aside, as a brief address to the audience or another character, distinguishes it as the correct term for the situation described.