Angels in America

        A major theme in Angels in America is companionship. All major characters struggle constantly with their chosen companions, leading to drama and interpersonal conflict. Another major part of their struggle comes from the fact that the thought of not having a companion is terrifying. The character Joe is gay but he chose to get married to a woman out of fear of rejection and being alone. He that a companion, even if she was the wrong gender, was better than nothing. The character of Louis also struggles with companionship. He has a companion in Prior however as Prior slips away due to his illness, Louis feels less and less connected to the companion he once loved. He then finds new companionship with Joe, who in his mind, can better fulfill his needs. Every character’s companion causes them stress, but the fear of being alone causes them much more stress.

        Angels in America is filled with humor but a particularly funny scene is Scene 2. The character of Roy is talking on the phone in an incredibly angry and animated manor while simultaneously calmly conversing with Joe and actually being quite friendly to him. The comedy comes from Roy’s ability to be some angry with these unseen characters on the phone, and yet still be nice to Joe, even offering him sandwiches and even listening to Joe when he asks him not to take the lord’s name in vain. This is another example of companionship in the play. Roy’s character is pretty clearly a terrible person, he’s racist and homophobic and he verbally abuses people constantly. Yet he still needs someone in his life that he can trust and actually enjoy being around. As this scene shows, he has apparently chosen Joe as his companion, even though Joe doesn’t always agree with him and stands up to him. This once again exemplifies the theme that everyone needs someone to share their life with and people are willing to put up with all kinds of horrible situations as long as it means they won’t be alone.