“The world is about to end.”
— Prior Walter, in the early stages of his AIDS diagnosis, speaking with his lover Louis.
Archivist's Choice
Millennium Approaches
Tony Kushner (1993)
Genre
Fantasy
Reading Time
119 min
Key Themes
See below
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In 1980s New York City, an angel tells a gay man with AIDS that he is a prophet, making him confront his mortality, his identity, and a nation's spiritual crisis.
Synopsis
In 1985 New York City, Prior Walter, who is gay, has AIDS. His lover, Louis Ironson, struggles with guilt and leaves him. As Prior gets sicker, he has vivid visions and an Angel visits him, calling him a prophet. Meanwhile, Joe Pitt, a closeted gay Mormon lawyer, gets a job offer from the powerful, corrupt, and also closeted Roy Cohn, who is dying of AIDS but denies it. Joe's wife, Harper, addicted to Valium and afraid to leave home, deals with her husband's secret and her own loneliness, experiencing her own strange visions. The play connects these lives, looking at love, betrayal, faith, and politics during the AIDS crisis. It ends with the Angel's dramatic arrival and Prior's hesitant acceptance of his divine role, setting up a confrontation with heaven.
Reading time
119 min
Difficulty
Medium
Pacing
Variable
Mood
Thought-provoking, Poetic, Melancholy, Hopeful, Surreal
✓ Read this if...
You're looking for a profound, poetic, and complex exploration of identity, faith, and crisis, with a blend of realism and magical realism.
✗ Skip this if...
You prefer straightforward narratives without magical realism, or are sensitive to explicit discussions of illness, sexuality, and political corruption.
Plot Summary
A Great Work Commences
The play starts in a Bronx funeral home in October 1985. Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz leads the burial of Sarah Ironson, an immigrant Jewish woman. The Rabbi's eulogy reflects on the journeys and sacrifices of immigrants, noting that new generations forget their predecessors' struggles. He talks about the ongoing movement of souls and the creation of new worlds, setting a tone of historical importance and the search for belonging. This scene immediately establishes the play's themes of heritage, displacement, and the American experience, while also introducing a sense of the spiritual and the passage of time.
A Diagnosis and a Revelation
Prior Walter, a young gay man in New York City, tells his boyfriend, Louis Ironson, that he has AIDS. Prior describes the Kaposi's Sarcoma lesions on his body, a sign of his declining health. Louis, scared and worried about commitment and suffering, struggles to process the news. He says he loves Prior but also that he is very uncomfortable with sickness and death, suggesting he cannot provide the care Prior will need. This conversation reveals the emotional and ethical challenges facing gay couples during the AIDS epidemic.
The Mormon Marriage and Political Ambition
Joe Pitt, a conservative, closeted gay Mormon lawyer, gets a job offer at the Justice Department from his mentor, Roy Cohn. Cohn is a powerful, right-wing, and also closeted lawyer. Joe hesitates, worried about leaving his wife, Harper, who relies on Valium and has vivid hallucinations. Harper, feeling ignored and alone, expresses her worries about their marriage and her feeling of a 'hole' inside Joe. This scene introduces the hidden lives and moral compromises within conservative America, contrasting with Prior and Louis's more open, though struggling, relationship.
Louis's Guilt and Prior's Isolation
As Prior's condition worsens, Louis finds he cannot handle the physical and emotional demands of his illness. He tells his friend Belize, a former drag queen and Prior's ex-lover, about his guilt and his growing wish to leave Prior. Belize, practical and loyal to Prior, criticizes Louis for feeling sorry for himself. Meanwhile, Prior's symptoms, like fevers and night sweats, get worse, and he starts to hear a voice. He also sees the ghost of Emily, a nurse, further blurring the line between reality and hallucination, suggesting a spiritual side to his suffering.
Roy Cohn's Diagnosis and Denial
Roy Cohn, despite his strong anti-gay views, is diagnosed with AIDS. He immediately uses his influence to make his doctor record his illness as liver cancer, a diagnosis with less social stigma that lets him keep his public image. Roy's denial and manipulation show his ruthless character and the widespread homophobia of the era, even among those secretly affected. His talk with his doctor reveals his deep fear of being seen as weak or gay, even as his body fails him.
A Shared Hallucination
In a remarkable and surreal scene, Prior Walter and Harper Pitt, though they have never met in reality, encounter each other in a shared hallucination. Prior, delirious with fever, and Harper, under the influence of Valium, find themselves in a fantastical, icy landscape. They discuss their partners' abandonment — Louis's emotional withdrawal and Joe's emotional distance — and their feelings of being left behind. This shared vision goes beyond physical boundaries, showing their similar struggles with illness, loneliness, and their loved ones' unfaithfulness, suggesting a deeper, connected spiritual reality.
Louis and Joe's Fateful Meeting
Louis Ironson, trying to escape his guilt and Prior's illness, goes to a park. There, he meets Joe Pitt, who is dealing with his own conflicts about his sexuality and his failing marriage. They start talking, first about legal matters, but quickly a strong mutual attraction becomes clear. Louis is drawn to Joe's stability and honesty, while Joe is captivated by Louis's intelligence and openness. This meeting begins a dangerous and morally unclear affair that will deeply affect everyone involved, further complicating the already tangled relationships.
The Angel's First Visit
As Prior Walter's illness progresses, his visions get stronger. A magnificent and terrifying Angel visits him in his bedroom, crashing through his ceiling. The Angel, a multi-winged, celestial being, announces that Prior is a prophet chosen to deliver a message to humanity. This dramatic event marks a significant change, pushing Prior into a spiritual journey that goes beyond his physical suffering and personal troubles. The Angel's arrival confirms the play's supernatural elements and introduces a larger, cosmic conflict into the story.
Roy's Manipulation and Ethel's Ghost
Roy Cohn, despite his worsening health, stays politically active and manipulative, even trying to get Joe Pitt a position in Washington D.C. He continues to ruthlessly use his power, even from his hospital bed. Meanwhile, the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg, whom Roy famously helped prosecute and send to the electric chair, starts to appear to him. Ethel's presence constantly reminds Roy of his past wrongs and his moral decay, acting as a spectral conscience and hinting at his eventual reckoning. Her appearance emphasizes the theme of historical justice.
Harper's Flight and the Antarctic
Overwhelmed by her husband Joe's emotional distance, his increasing absences, and her own deep sense of isolation and despair, Harper Pitt decides to leave. Her departure is not just physical but a retreat into her hallucinatory world. She imagines herself flying to Antarctica, a desolate and frozen landscape that reflects her inner emotional state. This symbolic journey shows her desperate attempt to escape her painful reality and her unhappy marriage, highlighting her fragile mental state and her desire for a place where she can feel truly safe or simply not feel at all.
The Second Angelic Visitation and Prior's Fear
The Angel returns to Prior Walter with a more forceful and detailed message. She explains that God has left Heaven, and humanity, in its constant search for progress and change, has driven Him away. The Angel tells Prior to stop human migration and progress, to end the constant striving for newness, and to return to a static, unchanging state. Prior, terrified and overwhelmed by the size of this prophecy and the Angel's power, struggles to understand or accept his divine mission. His fear and confusion highlight the burden of prophecy and the overwhelming nature of the supernatural.
Joe and Louis's Affair Deepens
Joe Pitt and Louis Ironson's affair deepens, moving from stolen moments to a more established, though still secret, relationship. They spend time together, discussing politics, philosophy, and their personal lives. Louis finds intellectual stimulation and emotional connection with Joe, a sharp contrast to his strained relationship with Prior. Joe, for his part, begins to face his long-suppressed homosexuality, finding liberation and self-acceptance with Louis. However, their illicit relationship is built on deceit and betrayal, creating guilt and future heartache for all involved.
Belize's Loyalty and Practicality
Belize, always the practical and loyal friend, continues to care for Prior Walter, giving him emotional support and practical help as Louis withdraws. He visits Prior, listens to his increasingly fantastical stories about angels, and offers comfort. Belize also confronts Louis directly about leaving Prior, showing his disgust and disappointment. He acts as a moral guide, grounding the play in the harsh realities of AIDS care and challenging Louis's intellectualizing and self-serving justifications. Belize's steady friendship shows the importance of chosen family and compassion.
Prior's Growing Acceptance of His Role
Despite his initial terror and disbelief, Prior Walter slowly starts to accept his prophetic calling. The Angel's visits become more frequent and insistent, and Prior's connection to the spiritual world deepens. He grapples with the weight of the message he is meant to deliver and its implications for humanity. This acceptance comes with fear, but a sense of purpose begins to emerge amid his suffering. Prior's journey from a man with AIDS to a hesitant prophet highlights the play's exploration of faith, destiny, and finding meaning in suffering.
The End of Millennium Approaches
The first part of 'Angels in America' ends with a powerful and dramatic final visit from the Angel. She descends upon Prior Walter with immense force, tearing through the ceiling of his apartment. Her presence is overwhelming, both terrifying and awe-inspiring. She clearly commands Prior to 'receive the Great Work' and to prepare for his role as a prophet. The scene ends with Prior screaming in a mix of fear, pain, and perhaps a dawning understanding of the immense responsibility placed on him, leaving the audience ready for the unfolding of 'Perestroika' and the results of his new divine mission.
Principal Figures
Prior Walter
The Protagonist
Prior evolves from a man consumed by his illness and abandonment into a reluctant prophet chosen by angels, forced to confront cosmic responsibility.
Louis Ironson
The Protagonist/Antagonist
Louis devolves from a devoted, if anxious, partner into a man consumed by guilt and self-justification, abandoning his dying lover for a new, complicated relationship.
Joe Pitt
The Protagonist
Joe begins as a repressed, dutiful husband and lawyer, but through his affair with Louis and confrontation with his own sexuality, starts to break free from his self-imposed closet.
Harper Pitt
The Protagonist
Harper descends deeper into her hallucinatory world as her marriage crumbles, eventually seeking a symbolic escape from her painful reality.
Roy Cohn
The Antagonist
Roy begins as an untouchable power broker, then faces the physical and social ramifications of AIDS, yet remains defiantly manipulative and in denial until the very end of this part.
Belize
The Supporting
Belize remains a constant, unwavering source of support and moral clarity for Prior, contrasting with Louis's abandonment.
The Angel
The Supernatural
The Angel introduces herself and her mission to Prior, setting in motion the grand, cosmic narrative.
Ethel Rosenberg
The Ghost/Supporting
Ethel Rosenberg's ghost emerges as a constant, inescapable presence for Roy Cohn, embodying his past moral failings.
Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz
The Mentioned/Symbolic
The Rabbi's role is primarily to establish the play's opening themes and tone.
Themes & Insights
AIDS and the Crisis of the 1980s
The AIDS epidemic is the main historical and social setting of the play, causing much of the personal drama and suffering. It appears in Prior Walter's physical decline, the fear and abandonment he experiences from Louis, and Roy Cohn's desperate attempts to deny his own diagnosis due to homophobia. The disease is not just a medical condition but a cause for moral and existential crises, forcing characters to confront death, love, and social stigma. It shows the inadequate societal response and the deep isolation faced by those affected, as seen in Prior's growing loneliness.
“You can't just make a disease, Prior, it's not like a... a sweater.”
Identity and Self-Acceptance
This theme explores how characters struggle to balance who they truly are with what society expects and what they want. Joe Pitt shows this by fighting his closeted homosexuality against his Mormon faith and conservative politics. Roy Cohn, despite his power, strongly denies being gay, even as AIDS destroys his body, showing the damaging effect of internalized homophobia. Prior Walter, in contrast, is open about his identity, but his illness makes him redefine himself beyond social labels, leading to his spiritual change. The play argues that self-acceptance is necessary, no matter how painful.
“I'm a homo, Louis. That's the one thing I am.”
Love, Betrayal, and Abandonment
The play deeply examines the complexities of human relationships, especially under stress. Louis Ironson leaving Prior Walter because of his fear of AIDS is a central act of betrayal, showing how fragile love is when faced with severe illness. Harper Pitt feels abandoned by Joe's emotional distance and his hidden sexuality, leading her to retreat into hallucination. Conversely, Belize's steady loyalty to Prior shows deep friendship and chosen family. These intertwined stories explore the deep pain of being left behind and the moral dilemmas of personal survival versus lasting commitment.
“I can't. I can't. I'm too scared. I'm so scared, Prior. I'm so scared.”
Religion, Spirituality, and Prophecy
Beyond its social commentary, the play delves into spiritual questions. Prior Walter's journey from an AIDS patient to a hesitant prophet, visited by an Angel, introduces a supernatural element. The Angel's message about God abandoning Heaven and humanity's constant 'migration' challenges traditional religious beliefs and raises questions about faith, divine purpose, and existence. Joe Pitt's Mormon faith provides a framework for his moral struggle, while the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg suggests historical and spiritual justice. The play explores how people find meaning and connection to something larger than themselves in times of crisis.
“Greetings, Prophet; The Great Work begins: The Messenger has arrived.”
Politics, Power, and Corruption
The political setting of 1980s America, especially the Reagan era, is a crucial background. Roy Cohn represents the corrupting influence of power, using his legal and political connections to manipulate the system and deny his own identity. His ruthlessness shows the moral decay at the heart of certain political structures. The play critiques the government's indifference to the AIDS crisis and the widespread homophobia in society. Characters like Louis engage in political discussions, reflecting the era's ideological battles, while Joe's ambition pulls him into this morally compromised world.
“I am not a homosexual. I'm a heterosexual man, Henry, but I have sex with men.”
Plot Devices & Literary Techniques
Hallucinations and Visions
Characters experience shared and individual unrealities, blurring lines between sanity and prophecy.
Hallucinations and visions are a central device, particularly for Harper Pitt and Prior Walter. Harper's Valium-induced visions allow her to escape her painful reality and offer symbolic insights into her marriage, often connecting her to Prior. Prior's feverish visions and later, direct visitations from the Angel, serve to introduce the supernatural elements of the play, transforming his illness into a prophetic calling. These devices allow the play to explore psychological states, spiritual awakening, and the porous boundary between the mundane and the miraculous, often revealing deeper truths than conventional reality.
Supernatural Elements (Angels, Ghosts)
Celestial beings and spirits directly intervene or appear, grounding the play in magical realism.
The introduction of angels and ghosts moves the play beyond pure realism into the realm of magical realism and fantasy. The Angel's dramatic appearances to Prior Walter directly advance the plot by designating him a prophet and revealing a cosmic crisis. Ethel Rosenberg's ghost serves as a constant, haunting reminder of Roy Cohn's past transgressions and a symbol of historical justice. These supernatural elements elevate the characters' personal struggles to a grander, more universal, and theological scale, suggesting that human suffering and moral choices have echoes in the spiritual world.
Parallel Storylines and Intersecting Fates
Multiple, initially separate narratives converge, revealing interconnectedness.
The play employs several parallel storylines – Prior and Louis, Joe and Harper, Roy Cohn's decline – which initially seem distinct but gradually intersect. The shared hallucination between Prior and Harper, Louis and Joe's affair, and Roy's mentorship of Joe are key points of convergence. This device emphasizes the interconnectedness of individual lives and destinies within a broader societal context. It allows for the exploration of contrasting experiences (e.g., open vs. closeted gay men, different responses to illness) while ultimately demonstrating how seemingly disparate lives are woven into a complex tapestry of shared human experience and historical moment.
Monologues and Direct Address
Characters often speak directly to the audience, revealing inner thoughts and breaking the fourth wall.
Characters frequently deliver extended monologues or directly address the audience, breaking the fourth wall. This device allows for deep psychological exploration, revealing the characters' innermost fears, desires, and philosophical musings without the filter of dialogue. Louis Ironson, in particular, uses monologues to rationalize his actions and express his anxieties. This technique creates intimacy between the character and the audience, inviting the audience to act as confessor or confidante, and provides crucial insights into motivations that might otherwise remain opaque, enriching the play's thematic complexity.
Critical analysis
Notable Quotes
“I hate America, Louis. I hate this country. It's just big, it's empty, it's full of… nothin'.”
— Prior Walter, expressing his disillusionment with America.
“In this world, there is a kind of painful progress. Longing for what we've left behind, and dreaming of what's to come.”
— The Angel, delivering her prophecy to Prior.
“You can't imagine, can you, what it's like to be a prophet.”
— Roy Cohn, speaking to his doctor, alluding to his own perceived power and influence.
“History is about to crack wide open.”
— The Angel, announcing the imminent changes to the world.
“We are not angels. We are people. We make mistakes. We hurt each other.”
— Louis Ironson, trying to explain his actions and failings to Prior.
“The great work begins.”
— The Angel, after Prior has accepted his role as a prophet.
“I just want to be loved.”
— Joe Pitt, confessing his deepest desire to Louis.
“The world only spins forward.”
— Hannah Pitt, expressing her pragmatic view of life and change.
“It's the end of the world. What do you want, a happy ending?”
— Prior Walter, with a touch of dark humor, reflecting on his situation.
“There are no angels in America, no angels at all.”
— Roy Cohn, asserting his cynical view of the world.
“You can't stop the future, but you can change it.”
— The Angel, giving Prior a sense of agency despite the impending changes.
“Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.”
— Belize, offering a philosophical perspective on coping with hardship.
“We live in a time of transformation.”
— Rabbi Chemelwitz, delivering a eulogy, reflecting on historical change.
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Key Questions (FAQ)
'Millennium Approaches' centers on the unraveling relationships and personal crises of its characters against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic in 1980s America. The primary conflict is Louis Ironson's inability to cope with his lover Prior Walter's AIDS diagnosis, leading him to abandon Prior, while Roy Cohn grapples with his own secret AIDS diagnosis and impending disbarment.
About the author
Biography coming soon.
