Angels in America: Addressing AIDS, Politics, and Identity in the Context of American Society and History
(Lecture Hall Buzzes, projector flickers to life, showing a picture of Roy Cohn looking particularly unpleasant)
Professor (Beaming): Alright, settle down, settle down! Welcome, my bright-eyed, bushy-tailed students of theatrical genius, to what I like to call "Kushner 101"! Today, we’re diving headfirst into the glorious, messy, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful world of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. Get ready, because this isn’t just a play; it’s a goddamn epic.
(Professor gestures dramatically)
Think of it as the Lord of the Rings of American Theatre, but instead of hobbits and elves, we have drag queens, closeted lawyers, Mormon wives, and… well, angels. And instead of a ring, we have AIDS, the Cold War, and a whole lotta existential angst.
(Professor leans in conspiratorially)
So, buckle up, because we’re about to dissect this beast of a play and see what makes it tick. We’ll explore how Angels in America grapples with AIDS, skewers politics (oh, does it skewer!), and delves deep into the complexities of American identity, all while giving us some of the most memorable characters and lines ever written for the stage.
(Professor taps a laser pointer on the picture of Roy Cohn. A little devil emoji appears next to his head.)
I. The Great Plague: AIDS and the American Psyche
Let’s start with the elephant in the room – or, perhaps more accurately, the virus in the blood. AIDS. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. In the 1980s, it wasn’t just a disease; it was a plague, a death sentence, a societal panic button pushed by fear, homophobia, and profound ignorance.
(Professor pulls up a slide showing a grim newspaper headline from the 80s about AIDS)
Kushner doesn’t shy away from the brutal reality of AIDS. He throws us right into the thick of it, showing us the physical and emotional toll it takes on his characters. Think of Prior Walter, our protagonist, a gay man slowly succumbing to the disease. His body is betraying him, his relationship is falling apart, and he’s haunted by… well, you’ll see.
But AIDS in Angels in America isn’t just a plot device. It’s a metaphor. A metaphor for:
- Societal Decay: The rotting flesh of Prior is symbolic of the rotting core of American society, poisoned by injustice, inequality, and hypocrisy.
- The Breakdown of Relationships: AIDS strains and ultimately breaks Prior and Louis’s relationship, highlighting the challenges faced by gay couples in a time of intense societal pressure and stigma.
- Spiritual Crisis: The angel’s arrival is triggered by Prior’s illness, suggesting a connection between physical suffering and spiritual awakening.
(Professor unveils a table comparing the societal perception of AIDS vs. its reality)
| Perception | Reality |
|---|---|
| "Gay Plague" | Affecting all demographics, though initially concentrated in the gay community. |
| Punishment from God | A virus with a scientific explanation and devastating consequences. |
| Highly Contagious (fear of casual contact) | Transmitted through specific bodily fluids; not spread through casual contact. |
| A Death Sentence (always fatal) | While often fatal in the early years, advancements in treatment have greatly improved survival rates. |
| A Source of Shame and Secrecy | A medical condition that demanded compassion, understanding, and open dialogue, not stigma and silence. |
(Professor sighs dramatically)
The play forces us to confront our own prejudices and anxieties surrounding AIDS. It asks us, as a society, how we treat the sick, the marginalized, and the different. It’s not a comfortable question, but it’s a necessary one.
(Professor clicks to the next slide: a picture of Ronald Reagan)
II. Politics of the Absurd: Reagan, Conservatism, and the Moral Vacuum
Ah, the 1980s. Big hair, shoulder pads, and Ronald Reagan. A time of economic prosperity (for some), Cold War paranoia, and a resurgence of conservative values. Kushner doesn’t exactly paint a rosy picture of this era. He uses the political landscape as a backdrop to highlight the hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy he sees in American society.
(Professor adopts a mock-Reagan voice)
"Morning in America!" Except, for a lot of people, it was more like midnight.
(Professor throws up another table)
| Reagan Era Ideals | Angels in America’s Critique |
|---|---|
| Individualism & Self-Reliance | Undermined by the AIDS crisis, which demanded collective action and social responsibility. Characters like Roy Cohn embody ruthless individualism to a destructive degree. |
| Family Values | Questioned through the exploration of alternative family structures and the hypocrisy of closeted individuals maintaining a facade of traditional morality. |
| Anti-Communism | Used as a smokescreen for suppressing dissent and justifying morally questionable actions. Roy Cohn’s career is a prime example of this. |
| Limited Government | Contradicted by the government’s inadequate response to the AIDS crisis, demonstrating a failure to provide essential healthcare and support to vulnerable populations. |
(Professor points to the table with laser precision)
Enter Roy Cohn, the real-life lawyer and political fixer, and arguably the play’s most villainous character. Cohn is a master manipulator, a liar, and a self-proclaimed "heterosexual man who fucks men." He represents the worst excesses of the Reagan era – greed, ambition, and a complete disregard for morality. He’s the kind of guy who would sell his own grandmother for a tax break.
(Professor pauses for effect)
Cohn’s denial of his homosexuality, even on his deathbed, is a powerful indictment of the societal pressures that forced so many gay men into the closet. He’s a tragic figure, yes, but also a deeply repugnant one. He embodies the moral vacuum at the heart of American politics.
And don’t forget the Mormons! Joe Pitt, the closeted gay Republican, and his Valium-addicted wife, Harper, represent the struggles of individuals caught between their personal desires and the rigid expectations of their faith and political ideology. They’re trapped in a world of guilt, denial, and hallucination.
(Professor gestures dramatically)
Kushner uses these characters to show us that the personal is political. Our individual choices and identities are shaped by the political forces around us, and vice versa.
(Professor clicks to the next slide: a collage of diverse faces)
III. Identity Crisis: American Dreams, Disillusionment, and the Search for Belonging
Angels in America is, at its core, a play about identity. About who we are, who we want to be, and how we fit (or don’t fit) into the American landscape. It’s a play about the American Dream, and whether that dream is still attainable, or if it’s become a twisted, unattainable fantasy.
(Professor puts on a thoughtful expression)
The play explores various facets of identity:
- Sexual Identity: Prior, Louis, and Joe grapple with their homosexuality in a society that often condemns it. Their experiences highlight the challenges of coming out, finding acceptance, and navigating relationships in a homophobic world.
- Religious Identity: Harper and Joe’s Mormon faith provides them with a framework for understanding the world, but also creates conflict and guilt. Their struggles reveal the tension between faith and individual desires.
- Political Identity: The play questions the meaning of American citizenship and the responsibility of individuals to engage with the political process. Characters like Belize challenge the status quo and fight for social justice.
- National Identity: The play explores the complexities of American identity in a diverse and rapidly changing society. The characters’ experiences highlight the challenges of finding belonging and navigating cultural differences.
(Professor presents a mind map of the characters’ identities and their conflicts)
American Identity
|
-------------------------------------------
| |
Sexual Identity Religious Identity
(Prior, Louis, Joe) (Harper, Joe)
| |
--------------------------- ---------------------------
| | | |
Acceptance vs. Rejection Love vs. Fear Faith vs. Doubt Guilt vs. Desire
| | | |
Relationship Strain Societal Pressure Internal Conflict Escape from Reality
(Professor sips from a water bottle with a rainbow sticker on it)
The characters in Angels in America are all searching for something – for love, for acceptance, for meaning, for a place to belong. They are disillusioned with the promises of the American Dream, but they are also resilient and determined to create their own identities in the face of adversity.
Belize, Prior’s best friend and a former drag queen, embodies this resilience. He’s a voice of reason, a source of comfort, and a fierce advocate for social justice. He’s the moral compass of the play, reminding us that even in the darkest of times, hope and compassion can still prevail.
(Professor clicks to the final slide: a hopeful image of people reaching for the sky)
IV. Angels and Hope: Moving Forward in a Broken World
So, what’s the takeaway? Is Angels in America a bleak and depressing play? Absolutely not! Despite the darkness and the despair, there’s a glimmer of hope that shines through.
(Professor spreads their arms wide)
The play is a call to action. A call to:
- Embrace Change: The angel’s central message is about the necessity of movement, of breaking free from stagnation and embracing the future.
- Confront Injustice: The play challenges us to confront the inequalities and prejudices that plague our society and to fight for a more just and equitable world.
- Find Connection: The characters in Angels in America ultimately find solace and strength in their connections with each other. The play reminds us of the importance of community and human connection.
- Find Hope in the Face of Despair: The ending of Perestroika is cautiously optimistic, suggesting that even in a broken world, hope is possible. The characters have survived the worst, and they are determined to move forward, to build a better future.
(Professor points emphatically)
Angels in America is a complex, challenging, and ultimately rewarding play. It’s a play that demands our attention, our empathy, and our willingness to confront uncomfortable truths about ourselves and our society.
(Professor smiles warmly)
It’s a play that reminds us that even in the face of death, despair, and political turmoil, we can still find hope, connection, and the courage to keep moving forward. And sometimes, just sometimes, an angel might just appear to help us along the way.
(Professor bows as the lecture hall erupts in applause. A single feather falls from the projector screen.)
Further Reading/Watching:
- Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, Parts One & Two (Obviously!)
- The HBO miniseries adaptation of Angels in America (Starring Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, and Emma Thompson – need I say more?)
- Critical essays and analyses of Angels in America (Prepare to have your mind blown!)
- Documentaries about the AIDS crisis in the 1980s (A sobering but essential look at the historical context of the play)
(Professor winks)
Now go forth, my students, and spread the word of Kushner! And remember: "The world only spins forward. We will be citizens, soon. By the time you die there will be no more countries. Only the planet. And everybody in it one people."
(Class Dismissed!) 🎉
