Monologue Of Anna By Geraldine Brooks

English Script
Thank you! Thank you so much for this incredible honour.
[Pause] It does not escape me for one moment that the joy I feel right now is thanks to the incredible Geraldine Brooks, for while this play is a historical piece, it acts as a mirror for all of us today. I want to thank the spirit of Anna for her guidance and for Brooks for creating such a beautiful heroine who’s journey has transformed the lives of so many: it transformed mine.

Brook’s imaginative exploration of a single moment in history mounts the modern argument for self-determination and independence. The modern character of Anna is deliberately placed in the 1660’s to symbolise a microcosm of the society’s journey through the Enlightenment. The prevalent Elizabethan

That was how I had been taught to view the world. The Puritans who had ministered to us here had held that all actions and thoughts could be only one of two natures: godly and right, or Satanic and Evil.” Pp. 55 – Bright day walking towards the woods
This dogmatic dichotomy of “godly” and “satanic”, which filters the way Anna experiences humanity, emphasises the way religious fervour constructs a parochial mindset. Anna’s strict conformity evokes a nexus with our highly globalised and media driven society, where it is easier to passively accept and conform to stereotypes and dominant beliefs than to try and analyse both the good and evil that resides with our collective

Anna’s humanistic perspective is exemplified through questioning the omnipotence of God in contrast to the superstitions of the Devil:
“Why did we, all of us, both rector in his pulpit and simple Lottie in her croft, seek to put the Plague in unseen hands? Why should this thing be either a test of faith sent by God, or by the evil working of the Devil in the world? One of these beliefs we embraced, the other we scorned as superstition. But perhaps each was false, equally. Perhaps the Plague was neither of God nor the Devil, but simply a thing in nature, as the stone on which we stub a toe.” pp. 215 – outside rocks
Anna’s questioning explores the tension between this theological worldview and the nascent emergence of science. Her view that time is wasted on religious speculations instead of rationality, extends beyond questioning the validity of faith to encapsulate a bold act of nonconformity. Through these emancipatory threads of the narrative we are provided a glimpse into a modern, independent character that affirms humanity’s capacity of