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Essay / Critical Analysis of Angels in America by Tony Kushner
In my acting class, I read “Angels in America” and was able to watch it on Youtube and HBO GO in my free time, alongside many other analysis videos of this piece. This play uses a multi-line narrative approach to describe in depth the lives of gay men with HIV/AIDS and their loved ones in the 1980s. There are both entirely fictional characters and "devils" created from real characters. Several major characters have completely opposite personalities. The fate of many characters is closely intertwined with their relationships, emotions, orientation and illness, forming a web. At the same time, each character is highly representative. Their communication usually not only serves the function of advancing the plot, but also represents the issues of different races, political ideas, and religious beliefs. This is, in my opinion, a projection of American society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the play, I think the most interesting character was Prior Walter because he seems to be a real medium. Andrew Garfield (Prior Walter actor) brought this character to life. I still recognize his movements on stage, and they were gentle and firm during the scene where he was "visited" by the angels and the ghost. Walter presented himself to the audience as a lonely and scared boy, but also showed us the little hope he still had for Louis Ironson. Even during the scene where Walter tells Louis how disappointed he was, it seems like a normal girl in a relationship going crazy, looking for comfort. Also, Roy Cohn, I think, is the most direct yet thoughtful. -provoking character throughout the room. This is an adaptation of a real person: he is a determined lawyer and conservative; he tries to manipulate the politics in the play. He attempted to replace District Court Clerk Joe Pete (Russell Tovey). He hated black people and hated the Communist Party. In the 1960s, when McCarthyism prevailed, he concocted the trial of the communists and put the Rosenbergers in the electric chair. But it's unbelievable that he was also gay and died of AIDS. Even up until the moment before his death, Roy Cohn was still teasing the ghost of Mrs. Rosenberg. He asked her to sing for him, thinking he would achieve a different type of “victory.” However, I think he died because of political and ideological paradoxes, thus becoming the only sacrifice that human beings offered to "God" in the play. Since Roy Cohn is right-wing, we can also consider him a virus that ruins everything. Due to its conflicts with servant characters representing typical groups in American society and also issues that directly concern the main characters. I think that's why the same actor played the mother, the doctor, the speaker and Mrs. Rosenberg. . It's about showing the audience how issues exist at different times and in different spaces. Therefore, “Angels in American” is complicated, which highlights the complexity of American cultures. It’s not just the characters that manifest complexity. It's also fantastic programming from Marianne Elliott (director), who also won the Tony Award for Best Director for her film "War Horse". As a whole, the stage scheme of the play gradually moves from a point to a plane, then from a plane to a depth. The mixture of two scenes symbolizes that individual destiny goes from nothingness to intersection to the end ofinteractions. For example, when Prior Walter and Louis, as well as Joe Pitt and his wife had to leave. The scene presented an offbeat state that seems to encapsulate the love tragedy of society at that time. I think Louis Ironson was the most dramatic, showing his conflicting feelings to Walter. When he learned that Prior Walter had contracted AIDS, he was afraid because he was afraid of being infected. He panicked because he didn't know how to take care of Prior Walter; because he got lost in confused feelings. He couldn't fully express himself – he simply told Prior Walter that they couldn't be together anymore and left. It seemed rude, but he was tangled. At that time, Louis was like an anxious child who wasn't sure of things. Although he chose to escape, his heart never did. He knows he still loves Prior Walter. He has torn himself away from his true emotions and is no longer able to think of anything else. This is in fact its painful process of psychological construction. Finally, after questioning himself several times, he understood what he wanted, what he could assimilate mentally. If he could do anything, he finally returned to Pryor Walter. About Louis Ironson, I can't say much because I haven't had any problems with my friends or family being gay or having AIDS. I can just understand the main point of the piece and its thinking in these areas, but I won't feel the depth of it. What strikes us deep within must be something we feel connected to, something we have experienced for ourselves. For example, we were also exposed to the situation of acceptance of homosexuality and awareness of AIDS in our society at that time but do our lovers have AIDS? I guess another common question for my age will be: Do you have a lover? Even though what happened to Louis Ironson reflects our modern culture, we cannot say whether he was doing the right or wrong things. We all have our own desires and everyone is selfish. There are many things that were inherent to us by our living environment and our family situation, and it is difficult to surpass them. It should not be okay to judge others by your own standards; therefore, it is also not reasonable for you to change yourself based on the actions of others, but it is always good to reflect on yourself. Additionally, the angels on stage also played an important role in the play. I don't think these are the "angels" we know about in the Bible. These are people who have been abandoned by God and who share the same fears and desires as human beings. I think this symbolizes people who were not contributing to society at that time, people who brought sadness and depression to others to seduce their desire to survive. It is interesting to see both parts of the play beginning with the funerals of American Jews and the speeches of Soviet Communists. I think this symbolizes the collapse of the two civilizations, the American type society and the Soviet communist society, due to the end of the Cold War. In the 1990s, when disease raged and people's hearts were in turmoil, the prophecy of Christianity was about to be fulfilled. God was furious and human beings can no longer rely on God. What “Angels In America” explored was actually what humans should do as a community to thrive. Looking at our history, we have done a great job of transitioning from God to technology, but is technology another trap? It's hard to say, but at least.