The Crucible audiobook is a classic play about the witch-hunts and trials in seventeenth-century Salem, Massachusetts. Based on historical people and real events, Miller’s drama is a searing portrait of a community engulfed by hysteria.
The Crucible audiobook reflects the anti-communist hysteria
The Crucible audiobook is a harrowing depiction of a town overwhelmed by frenzy, based on actual individuals and true events. Rumors that women are committing witchcraft excite the town’s most fundamental fears and suspicions under Salem’s tight theocracy, and when a small girl accuses Elizabeth Proctor of being a witch, self-righteous church officials and villagers urge that Elizabeth be tried. The prosecutors’ brutality and neighbor’s desire to testify against neighbor beautifully highlight the deadly force of socially sanctioned violence.
The Crucible audiobook is a fantastic drama about what happens when frenzy takes over a community and wicked individuals gain access to the levers of power, which unfortunately occurs all too often. The plot revolves around John Proctor’s quest to atone for the terrible remorse he has felt since committing adultery with Abigail. This is quite moving. The scene that may stick with you the most is a detail about one of the minor characters, Giles Corey, who dies offstage halfway through. Giles is one of many citizens wrongfully accused of witchcraft by Abigail and those who are taking advantage of her. He’s in an untenable predicament; whether he pleads guilty or innocent, he’s doomed. Giles, on the other hand, has a lengthy history of litigation and is well-versed in the law. He just refuses to enter any sort of plea.
The Crucible audiobook is also a lot of things. A work of outstanding American theater, a gift to performers, and a fantastic read! One thing it is not, however, is a piece of history, so beware. Too many people interpret this play as a historical narrative, despite Arthur Miller’s explicit advice in the play’s notes not to, and as a result, they lose the forest for the trees. This is not a study of the Salem Witch Trials, but rather a fictitious depiction of a historical event intended to challenge the present reader or spectator to evaluate their own biases, prejudices, hypocrisy, or conceptions of honor.
It is brilliantly written in four acts, each one better than the one before it, and it builds to a crescendo and a shocking finale that leaves the reader with a racing heart, an angry mind, and a moral conundrum. The Crucible audiobook features a big cast of characters, but because all of Miller’s annotations are included in this edition, it reads like a novel and is a highly delightful experience, even if one never sees it performed. It would be terribly dull in the hands of a terrible acting company, but done right, it is thrilling.
Allow The Crucible audiobook to take you on an emotional journey, and then reflect on it by listening to it on Free Audiobooks Online today!
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