This article analyzes the role of AIDS in Tony Kushner's play *Angels in America*. It argues that the characters afflicted with AIDS, specifically Prior Walter and Roy Cohn, inhabit a liminal space resembling Purgatory.
The article posits that their visions, often attributed to fever, medication, or stress, are actually a consequence of their proximity to death. AIDS serves as a metaphor for Purgatory, with Prior Walter acting as a pilgrim on a prophetic journey.
A key argument is that AIDS becomes not just a harbinger of death, but a precondition for life in Prior's case. His visions, directly linked to his illness, enable survival and ultimately lead to him sharing his insights with humanity.
Ghosts come from Purgatory, "the middle space of the realm of the dead." In Angels in America, the two characters who see ghosts are victims of AIDS, themselves occupying a kind of middle space. While their visions can be seen as fever-, medication-, or stress-induced, both Prior Walter and Roy Cohn are, in fact, sanctified by their proximity to death, and the liminal "space" of AIDS functions as a metaphor for Purgatory throughout the play. In this magical world, Prior Walter is a pilgrim. AIDS is not only death but a precondition for life, as Prior learns on his prophetic journey. He sees because he has AIDS; he survives because he sees; and in the end, he shares his vision with humanity.
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