Shame In Angels In America

Throughout the play, the characters of Tony Kushners’ Angels in America struggle with self-acceptance and cultural normativity, resulting in the mutual and tragic flaw of shame in oneself directly negatively affecting their relationships, communities and ____. Through the use of dramatic irony, Kushner emphasizes how shame, resulting in suppression of emotion inevitably tears apart relationships. Likewise, by developing characters in sets of foils, such as Louis and Joe, and Roy and Prior, Kushner highlights how shame can reach all members in a community and subsequently bring it down. Additionally, the negative effects of shame within each character is highlighted through the use of telling soliloquies that emphasize the inner turmoil the …show more content…
This life long struggle results in a sense of shame brought on by the normative standards in their community, a feeling of confusion and disappointment developed by the consciousness of dishonour or indecency of ones actions or feelings. Shame such as this is shown to be amplified when particular indecent actions collide with communities such as faith. Harpers shame in her addiction is strongly connected to her faith, this is evident when she speaks to Prior in her hallucination and defensively argues against her addiction claiming “I’m not addicted. I don’t believe in addiction” (32), despite confessing to taking valium; “lots of valium” (32). Her defense is quickly brought down as she confides in Prior and explains her previous denial stating that “Mormons are not supposed to be addicted to anything” (32) implying her shame. Harper and Priors dream/hallucination meeting creates a sense of dramatic irony in that by confiding in Prior the audience is aware that Harper deep down has come to terms with her problem despite previously denying any sense of unhappiness with Joe, stressing her mental well-being, exclaiming “I DO NOT have emotional problems.” (27). Dramatic Irony in Angels in America is used to emphasize the