A good work must have a deep foundation in life, and this work is no exception. Tony Kushner is also gay in reality and graduated from Columbia University. Lover mark harris is a journalist and graduated from yale university. They became the first same-sex marriage to be featured in The New York Times in 2003. Kushner's homosexuality makes him comfortable in writing about homosexual entanglements. Even if I am not gay, I can feel the entanglement of the characters in the play when reading this work. Kushner is not only involved in the theater world, but also a gold screenwriter in the film industry. Munich, Lincoln, are all his works. Angels in America was also funded by hbo, adapted by kushner himself, directed by mike nichols, and made into a movie.
It took kushner 5 years to write two angels in america. This work describes the entanglement between gay couples in New York. The main characters are roy cohn, a famous barrister in new york who became famous by accusing ethel rosenberg of being a soviet spy. At this time, the United States was in the period of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, and the red terror shrouded the United States. Coupled with the real challenges of AIDS and homophobia, the future of the United States is confused. (roy cohn is written based on the famous barrister roy cohn, but the author also declares that it has nothing to do with the real roy, the roy in the play is an artistic image created by him based on the real roy .) joe, roy's subordinate, has an affair with roy. Louis, a clerk for the New York courthouse, lives happily with Ben and her boyfriend, Prior. However, the makeup artist prior has unfortunately contracted AIDS. Louis and Prior are Jewish gay couples, but Louis struggled to leave him after learning that Prior had AIDS. Prior still loves louis deeply. He was seriously ill and had to be admitted to the hospital. The nurse who took care of him turned out to be his ex-boyfriend, the black drag queen, Belize. At this time, louis has already hooked up with his colleague joe. Joe is a married Mormon, but he is gay at the same time, his religious beliefs make him disobey his gay identity, and his nominal marriage with his wife harper makes harper addicted to tranquilizers and has hallucinations . Joe's mother, Hannah, is determined to come to New York to correct her child's mistakes after learning that Joe is gay. In addition to these real people, there are also a bunch of angels in the play, delivering the message of God. Each of the main characters in the play speaks and connects in fact or through hallucinations.
As a gay, the author has a deep resonance and understanding of the lives of gay people. Homosexuality in this work is one of the themes, but it is not simply a work of grievances for homosexuals. This is a film that records the times and records the changes. Angels in America actually refer to the lives of the American people. At the end of the second part, the angels are chatting in heaven. At this time, the angels we see know how to repair the radio in a few steps, and they will bicker over trivial matters like ordinary people. Angels are powerless here, only God is omnipotent. But where is God? There is no shadow of God in the play. So the angels represent the American people, and the wheel of history will always go forward instead of backward.
Conflict
Personal conflict (intrapersonal conflict) The
drama has various conflicts, not only conflicts between characters, but also conflicts of personal identity (conflict between oneself and oneself). For example, Roy's dual identities as a successful Republican barrister and homosexuality were in conflict at the time, so he was reluctant to admit that he contracted AIDS because of recruiting male prostitutes, and even died saying that he had cancer. Joe's Mormon beliefs and his homosexuality have made him entangled, and the
conflict
between the characters in the interpersonal conflict is even more obvious. Harper and joe are a devout Mormon couple but because of joe's Sexual orientation and unable to live as a normal couple. On the one hand, roy is ambiguous with joe, on the other hand, roy refuses to admit his sexuality. Louis and prior were a sweet couple, but because of prior's illness, Louis wanted to separate from him. Prior had no faith but was told by angel that he was a prophet who would bring God's words to the world.
Acceptance
Inclusion is also a theme of the play. The author kushner is actually a very positive writer. Although the life of the gay community was not optimistic when he was growing up, the author still vaguely revealed his positive fantasy about the future at the end: angels in America can live freely and happily, no matter what he is what does it look like. Hannah sold his home to New York to save his son in the hope of correcting his child joe's mistakes, but he couldn't accept the fact that he was gay. Louis can't accept the news that priority has AIDS, and chooses to leave him immediately, trolling around hoping to forget him. But in the second installment, Hannah gradually accepts joe, and Louis eventually finds himself in love with priority.
The social reality of homosexuality The
United States in the 1990s was the United States that talked about homosexuality. Homosexuality is a neglected group. The bill for gay rights has been slow to pass. What roy said to his doctor when he found out he had AIDS was thought provoking. He kept questioning the doctor, pressing the doctor, "say it, roy cohn is a homosexual". Of course the doctor would not dare to say. Roy doesn't deny his sexuality, but he denies that he's gay. "I cannot be labeled by whom I fucked or whom fucked I. I am not homosexual. Homosexual are men who know nobady and who nobody knows, who have zero clout." doctrinal violation. No one wanted to admit they existed, but Roy got the clout. He could threaten his doctor, and with the flick of a finger, he could get a doctor out of New York State in no time. He could get President Reagan to shake hands with his male prostitute, and he could talk to the President's wife anytime. He is a symbol of power.
So he's not gay, he's a heterosexual man, who fucks around guys. And AIDS is what homosexuals have. So Roy finally forced the doctor to admit that he had liver cancer, not AIDS. Roy's rights kept him from admitting he was gay, but he was confident enough not to deny himself.
Louis is a bit of a weak, sentimental, fickle person who, though deeply in love with priority, fears losing him, runs away, and is weak. Anyone can have a period like this.
Background The background of
this play is very grand. Times have changed, the United States is in the Cold War with the Soviet Union, and President Reagan's conservative political stance on homosexuality has put homosexuality on the dark side. At this time, it was a time of national AIDS panic. The Red Terror, anxiety about the Communist Party and the Cold War with the Soviet Union made everyone panic. Among them, Roy is an out-and-out anti-communist. It was the guillotine on which he sent ethel rosenberg. In fact, I think he is not an anti-communist, a Republican supporter, but a power addict. He is always on the side of power. He does not believe in God, hell, or ghosts. He only believes in himself, and he will never die. Forget about teasing ethel's ghost, get the upper hand in power dynamic.
Politics
even if the US claims to be a democracy, respect for freedom, tolerance and equality, but in the author's view, this freedom, equality and democracy has a class nature. The author uses Louis's words to point out, "underneath all the tolerance, is intense, passionate hatred". The American dream is the heterosexual dream of middle-class white Christians, and American democracy is their democracy, and if you're gay, color, pagan, your voice won't be heard, and your rights won't be defended.
racial issue
Belize is a black transvestite gay. This makes the show more involved in racial issues in the United States. The story of a manor and a black slave in love, Real love isn't ever ambivalent. Roy's conversation with Belize while he was in the hospital was also interesting.
Angel and orgasm When the
angel descends, both prior and hannah have orgasm (orgasm) with the angel. These orgasms are hard to explain with simple orgasms. Although I still don't quite understand what these orgasms represent, judging from bernini's ecstasy of st Teresa, these orgasms may suggest a religious surrender, the ecstasy of st Teresa is a religious sculpture by bernini depicting the nun teresa Feel the vision of God by yourself, see the angel come and bring the message of God. In bernini's sculpture, st teresa is depicted as an orgasm. So I think the climax of the play and the angels may represent Organism bliss. Although angels in America does not directly write about God, the author still has positive expectations for the future. God is blessing America no matter who you are.
change
The first Millennium Approaches begins with the Jewish rabbi mourning the death of louis' grandmother, a metaphor for the death of an old age and the beginning of a new age. The show has positive metaphors, in my opinion, the end of the show implies hope, and at the end of the show, everyone sits in the center craft and talks about the fall of the Berlin Wall, the new millennium is coming, the Soviet Union is about to collapse, everything is unknown, As the crazy woman hannah met said, new era, everything will be insane. The author may imply that the reform of American culture, homosexuality also has hope for change in this turbulent situation, and the American dream is no longer the dream of white middle-class heterosexuals in the United States. At the same time, prior's status as a prophet also heralds a change in American culture. The prophet prior is a terminally ill gay who doesn't believe in God. But he was chosen as a prophet, and in my opinion, the author implies that America's future will be a promising future. The American Dream is everyone's dream.
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