Millennium Approaches Summary

Millennium Approaches Plot Summary

Covers the whole plot, including the ending.

1. A Great Work Commences

   The play starts in a Bronx funeral home in October 1985. Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz leads the burial of Sarah Ironson, an immigrant Jewish woman. The Rabbi's eulogy reflects on the journeys and sacrifices of immigrants, noting that new generations forget their predecessors' struggles. He talks about the ongoing movement of souls and the creation of new worlds, setting a tone of historical importance and the search for belonging. This scene immediately establishes the play's themes of heritage, displacement, and the American experience, while also introducing a sense of the spiritual and the passage of time.

2. A Diagnosis and a Revelation

   Prior Walter, a young gay man in New York City, tells his boyfriend, Louis Ironson, that he has AIDS. Prior describes the Kaposi's Sarcoma lesions on his body, a sign of his declining health. Louis, scared and worried about commitment and suffering, struggles to process the news. He says he loves Prior but also that he is very uncomfortable with sickness and death, suggesting he cannot provide the care Prior will need. This conversation reveals the emotional and ethical challenges facing gay couples during the AIDS epidemic.

3. The Mormon Marriage and Political Ambition

   Joe Pitt, a conservative, closeted gay Mormon lawyer, gets a job offer at the Justice Department from his mentor, Roy Cohn. Cohn is a powerful, right-wing, and also closeted lawyer. Joe hesitates, worried about leaving his wife, Harper, who relies on Valium and has vivid hallucinations. Harper, feeling ignored and alone, expresses her worries about their marriage and her feeling of a 'hole' inside Joe. This scene introduces the hidden lives and moral compromises within conservative America, contrasting with Prior and Louis's more open, though struggling, relationship.

4. Louis's Guilt and Prior's Isolation

   As Prior's condition worsens, Louis finds he cannot handle the physical and emotional demands of his illness. He tells his friend Belize, a former drag queen and Prior's ex-lover, about his guilt and his growing wish to leave Prior. Belize, practical and loyal to Prior, criticizes Louis for feeling sorry for himself. Meanwhile, Prior's symptoms, like fevers and night sweats, get worse, and he starts to hear a voice. He also sees the ghost of Emily, a nurse, further blurring the line between reality and hallucination, suggesting a spiritual side to his suffering.

5. Roy Cohn's Diagnosis and Denial

   Roy Cohn, despite his strong anti-gay views, is diagnosed with AIDS. He immediately uses his influence to make his doctor record his illness as liver cancer, a diagnosis with less social stigma that lets him keep his public image. Roy's denial and manipulation show his ruthless character and the widespread homophobia of the era, even among those secretly affected. His talk with his doctor reveals his deep fear of being seen as weak or gay, even as his body fails him.

6. A Shared Hallucination

   In a remarkable and surreal scene, Prior Walter and Harper Pitt, though they have never met in reality, encounter each other in a shared hallucination. Prior, delirious with fever, and Harper, under the influence of Valium, find themselves in a fantastical, icy landscape. They discuss their partners' abandonment — Louis's emotional withdrawal and Joe's emotional distance — and their feelings of being left behind. This shared vision goes beyond physical boundaries, showing their similar struggles with illness, loneliness, and their loved ones' unfaithfulness, suggesting a deeper, connected spiritual reality.

7. Louis and Joe's Fateful Meeting

   Louis Ironson, trying to escape his guilt and Prior's illness, goes to a park. There, he meets Joe Pitt, who is dealing with his own conflicts about his sexuality and his failing marriage. They start talking, first about legal matters, but quickly a strong mutual attraction becomes clear. Louis is drawn to Joe's stability and honesty, while Joe is captivated by Louis's intelligence and openness. This meeting begins a dangerous and morally unclear affair that will deeply affect everyone involved, further complicating the already tangled relationships.

8. The Angel's First Visit

   As Prior Walter's illness progresses, his visions get stronger. A magnificent and terrifying Angel visits him in his bedroom, crashing through his ceiling. The Angel, a multi-winged, celestial being, announces that Prior is a prophet chosen to deliver a message to humanity. This dramatic event marks a significant change, pushing Prior into a spiritual journey that goes beyond his physical suffering and personal troubles. The Angel's arrival confirms the play's supernatural elements and introduces a larger, cosmic conflict into the story.

9. Roy's Manipulation and Ethel's Ghost

   Roy Cohn, despite his worsening health, stays politically active and manipulative, even trying to get Joe Pitt a position in Washington D.C. He continues to ruthlessly use his power, even from his hospital bed. Meanwhile, the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg, whom Roy famously helped prosecute and send to the electric chair, starts to appear to him. Ethel's presence constantly reminds Roy of his past wrongs and his moral decay, acting as a spectral conscience and hinting at his eventual reckoning. Her appearance emphasizes the theme of historical justice.

10. Harper's Flight and the Antarctic

    Overwhelmed by her husband Joe's emotional distance, his increasing absences, and her own deep sense of isolation and despair, Harper Pitt decides to leave. Her departure is not just physical but a retreat into her hallucinatory world. She imagines herself flying to Antarctica, a desolate and frozen landscape that reflects her inner emotional state. This symbolic journey shows her desperate attempt to escape her painful reality and her unhappy marriage, highlighting her fragile mental state and her desire for a place where she can feel truly safe or simply not feel at all.

11. The Second Angelic Visitation and Prior's Fear

    The Angel returns to Prior Walter with a more forceful and detailed message. She explains that God has left Heaven, and humanity, in its constant search for progress and change, has driven Him away. The Angel tells Prior to stop human migration and progress, to end the constant striving for newness, and to return to a static, unchanging state. Prior, terrified and overwhelmed by the size of this prophecy and the Angel's power, struggles to understand or accept his divine mission. His fear and confusion highlight the burden of prophecy and the overwhelming nature of the supernatural.

12. Joe and Louis's Affair Deepens

    Joe Pitt and Louis Ironson's affair deepens, moving from stolen moments to a more established, though still secret, relationship. They spend time together, discussing politics, philosophy, and their personal lives. Louis finds intellectual stimulation and emotional connection with Joe, a sharp contrast to his strained relationship with Prior. Joe, for his part, begins to face his long-suppressed homosexuality, finding liberation and self-acceptance with Louis. However, their illicit relationship is built on deceit and betrayal, creating guilt and future heartache for all involved.

13. Belize's Loyalty and Practicality

    Belize, always the practical and loyal friend, continues to care for Prior Walter, giving him emotional support and practical help as Louis withdraws. He visits Prior, listens to his increasingly fantastical stories about angels, and offers comfort. Belize also confronts Louis directly about leaving Prior, showing his disgust and disappointment. He acts as a moral guide, grounding the play in the harsh realities of AIDS care and challenging Louis's intellectualizing and self-serving justifications. Belize's steady friendship shows the importance of chosen family and compassion.

14. Prior's Growing Acceptance of His Role

    Despite his initial terror and disbelief, Prior Walter slowly starts to accept his prophetic calling. The Angel's visits become more frequent and insistent, and Prior's connection to the spiritual world deepens. He grapples with the weight of the message he is meant to deliver and its implications for humanity. This acceptance comes with fear, but a sense of purpose begins to emerge amid his suffering. Prior's journey from a man with AIDS to a hesitant prophet highlights the play's exploration of faith, destiny, and finding meaning in suffering.

15. The End of Millennium Approaches

    The first part of 'Angels in America' ends with a powerful and dramatic final visit from the Angel. She descends upon Prior Walter with immense force, tearing through the ceiling of his apartment. Her presence is overwhelming, both terrifying and awe-inspiring. She clearly commands Prior to 'receive the Great Work' and to prepare for his role as a prophet. The scene ends with Prior screaming in a mix of fear, pain, and perhaps a dawning understanding of the immense responsibility placed on him, leaving the audience ready for the unfolding of 'Perestroika' and the results of his new divine mission.

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