Prophets and Prophecies Theme in Angels in America

Right away, it’s clear that Angels in America is a play about prophecies and the people who make them (or refuse to make them). The play’s protagonist, Prior Walter, is a reluctant prophet being forced to spread a “great work” around the world. Another main character, Joe Pitt, is a Mormon: Mormonism is a religion based on the Angel Moroni’s speech to Joseph Smith, a prophecy that impelled Smith to lead a group of settlers across the country. Then there are more subtle allusions to prophecy; for instance, Communism (frequently discussed in Perestroika) is based on Karl Marx’s “prophecy” of a worldwide proletarian revolution. Even the Reagan presidency was celebrated with the slogan, “It’s morning in America,” suggesting that an old prophecy had been fulfilled and a new age had dawned. How should we understand these different kinds of prophecies?

One of the ironies of prophecies—and the cultures that arise around them—is that although they’re visions for the future, they also encourage people to look back to the past. More often than not, a prophet’s vision for the future is designed to restore an old status quo—a “second” coming. As Kushner demonstrates, one of the best examples of this paradox is the Reagan presidency itself. Reagan presented himself as an energetic, forward-thinking leader, committed to realizing his “vision” for America. And yet Reagan himself (more than 70 years old for most of his time in the White House), was the very embodiment of old-fashioned, “traditional moral values.”

This tension in the nature of prophecy—the tension between looking ahead and turning back the clock—can be dangerous. Prophets don’t just ask their followers to wait passively for the future; they urge their followers to make big changes in their lives and work to achieve this future (or avoid a prophesized apocalypse!). In other words, prophecy always comes with strings attached: the price for a happy future is often limiting human happiness, here and now. As Louis Ironson insightfully points out, most prophets and their followers function like cults: a heap of arbitrary laws and rules that supposedly lead to a big reward in the future. As Kushner sees it, Christianity—Mormonism in particular—is a perfect example of this problem. Christianity teaches people to fight their sexual feelings (in particular, their homosexual feelings), so that God will reward them in Heaven. Such a big restriction on human freedom can only lead to suffering, and during the play, we see Joe Pitt, a closeted homosexual man, go through this suffering. The most extreme example of prophecy gone wrong is the restriction on all human freedom that the Angel of America wants Prior Martin to pass on to humanity: “Stop moving” (in other words, die).

Although it’s important to look ahead to the future with optimism and excitement, humans can’t limit their lives in the ways that prophets often demand. Kushner’s play suggests that prophets should question and challenge their supposed prophecies, just as Prior Martin does in the play’s climax. Prior challenges the angels’ mandate that mankind should stop moving, ultimately convincing them to change their minds about their own prophecy. In the play’s epilogue, we see an example of how humans can look to the future without actually obeying prophecy at all. Prior, addressing the crowd directly, explains that while he looks forward to a great, wonderful future, he has absolutely no idea what this future holds for him. It can be comforting to subscribe to a prophecy, because prophecy gives life a sense of order and structure. And yet by questioning (or outright rejecting) prophecy, humans earn themselves a new sense of freedom, which is arguably far more valuable.

Prophets and Prophecies ThemeTracker

The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Prophets and Prophecies appears in each scene of Angels in America. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.

How often theme appears:

scene length:

Scene