Tony Kushner’s Play “Angels in America”

Tony Kushner’s play Angels in America portrays a truthful yet painful picture of what gay men go through. They either suffer in the inside or are tormented publicly. Sometimes both. Being a homosexual is a double-edged sword. Publicly announcing that you are gay, you can be mocked by the ignorant of society, but if you keep it a secret you yourself can be very agitated. The fear of the public force’s gay men into a life of denial and secrets.

Prior Walter is the least closeted homosexual while Roy Cohn is the most. Prior represents good whereas Roy represents evil leading onto the fact Roy, the villain, dies and Prior, the hero, lives. Kushner’s play shows American tragedy.

“Angels in America” deals with the AIDS crisis in New York, and the lives that are impacted directly and indirectly. The characters in the play are good and appropriate. They act like real life people with real world situations. Their actions, thoughts, decisions are like what us humans would do in real life. The characters struggle with the fear of whether society will accept them. “We won’t die secret deaths anymore” (Epilogue.31). This suggesting the coming out and being open about sexuality. Roy is a powerful lawyer who does not believe that he is gay but believes he is a heterosexual man who occasionally has the desire to be satisfied by a man. Roy does not identify himself as a homosexual because he considered homosexuals to be weak and who have no political clout. “Homosexuals are men who know nobody and who nobody knows. Who have zero clout. Does this sound like me Henry?” (Kushner 46). Roy threatens to destroy Henry’s career if word got out that he had contracted the virus. He says, “I will proceed, systematically, to destroy your reputation and your practice and your career in New York state Henry. Which you know I can do” (Kushner 45). Roy does not have any limits into ruining a person’s career and life over something so little.

Another character, Prior Walter was content with death until later he immediately insisted on life without thinking twice. He plays out his tragic flaw and wrestles the angel. He goes against a supernatural force and somehow wins. He experienced heaven, a free pass to paradise, yet stays committed to life on earth. “Bless me anyway. I want more life. I can’t help myself. I do… I recognize the habit. The addiction to being alive” (Kushner 278). He still desires to be on earth with AIDS, alone and hopeless. He made a conscious decision to live, the choice we all make to live. He pursued an actual life of terrors. He was in a way a tragic hero.

Aristotle’s definition of tragedy is an imitation of what could be real life actions. Weakness can cause death. That is the tragedy. “So maybe I’m a prophet. Not me, alone, all of us, the, the ones who’re dying now. Maybe the virus is the prophecy? Be still” (Kushner 176). AIDS is the disease of progress, and the world is infected. That tragedy is sad, but real. Aristotle also says a tragedy cannot end without a catharsis through the feelings of pity and fear. Catharsis is the relief of emotions. The final scene of Angels in America does not purge pity or fear. It shows hope and despair, of people and a nation killing themselves. Teaching us that when we know our failings, we find a way to survive. We may not make the best of it, but we make something.

Prior has been through it all leading him to reject death. Us humans should all do the same. Tony Kushner developed something very interesting where the farther a person is from coming out, the more flawed or evil one is. Until society tries to accept gay men, prejudice will still exist.

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