Literary Devices in Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
Reagan-Era AmericaAngels in America is set in the 1980s, during Ronald Reagan's presidency. Being a political play, we hear quite a bit about the president. Reagan was the most beloved recent conse...
Genre
We call the play a drama because it's well... a play – a piece of literature meant to be performed in front of a live audience. It fits into the genre of magical realism, because it combines real...
Tone
Angels in America is an amazing piece of theater that manages to blend many different tones while still feeling like a totally cohesive whole. For starters, it's funny all the way through; bits of...
Writing Style
It is well documented that Tony Kushner is influenced by his theatrical forefather Bertolt Brecht, who popularized the style of theater known as epic. Angels in America shares many similarities to...
What's Up With the Title?
The full title of this play is Angels in America, A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Part One: Millennium Approaches. And you don't need us to tell you that this is one seriously long and amazing t...
What's Up With the Epigraph?
In a murderous timethe heart breaks and breaksand lives by breaking.–Stanley Kunitz, "The Testing-Tree"The epigraph of the first part of Angels in America is from a poem by Stanley Kunitz called...
What's Up With the Ending?
The ending of Millennium Approaches, the first part of Angels in America, is the cliffhanger of all cliffhangers. Part One comes to its thrilling conclusion when the angel crashes through the ceili...
Tough-o-Meter
Angels in America manages to be incredibly complex and incredibly accessible at the same time. Even if you don't get all the historical references, poetic motifs, layers of reality, and larger poli...
Plot Analysis
Tony Kushner really busts the seams with his epic Angels in America. It just doesn't fit at all into the classic plot analysis. Part of the issue is that it's hard to analyze Millennium Approaches...
Trivia
Angels in America was made into an opera – crazy. Read about it here.When Tony Kushner married his boyfriend, Mark Harris, it was the first gay marriage to be announced in the New York Times "Vow...
Steaminess Rating
Angels in America makes no effort to be coy about sex. The characters speak about it openly, and they aren't afraid to crack a sexual joke or two. The play also shows sex on stage with Louis and an...