It looks like your monitor was recognized, and is acting as an extended desktop. You can change the behavior of your multiple-monitor setup in System Preferences, under displays. If you'd like to use the monitor instead of the macbook's screen, you can attach an external keyboard and mouse to the macbook, close the lid of the macbook, then wake it with the external peripherals - now the external screen should wake.
If you'd like to use the external monitor as your main monitor while still using the macbook's screen, you can drag the menubar across screens in System Preferences -> Displays -> Arrangement.