Angels in America Part 2

I don’t think there is a relationship in this play that includes love from both partners. In every couple there is one that definitely loves more than the other. For example, in the relationship between Harper and Joe I think Harper loves Joe more than he does. She seems to be more affected by their battles and, well, she’s straight so obviously Joe never really loved her in a relationship type of way. He knew deep inside that their marriage was mostly a show for him to easily closet his homosexuality.  I also think that Louis does a horrible job at persuading me that he’s in love with Prior, clearly if he did he would not be having affairs as Prior is dying in the hospital.

Tony Kushner incorporating so much betrayal into the play is to shed light on the idea that hardships reveal a person’s true loyalty. AIDS was and still is a very deadly disease and Kushner wanted to show that it had the power to tear a relationship apart even when everything seemed to be going fine. If everything was all nice and easy, lovers would always stay lovers. The biggest betrayal was between Louis and Prior. “Louis: Rabbi, what does the Holy Writ say about someone who abandons someone he loves at a time of great need? (1.5.49)” Even though Louis felt guilty about leaving Prior, he ended up doing so anyways.

My favorite thing about this play is Tony Kushner including characters based on people in real life. It was interesting searching Roy Cohn on the internet and seeing what he actually did and his connections to people we are well aware of now, like President Donald Trump. I feel like it made the play come alive.