Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit der Vergangenheitsdarstellung in zwei amerikanischen Theaterstücken der Nachkriegszeit. Arthur Millers "The Crucible" sowie Tony Kushners "Angels in America" werden daher in Bezug auf verschiedene historische Aspekte verglichen. Zuerst werden die beiden Autoren und ihre Werke kurz vorgestellt, wobei das besondere Interesse beider Dramatiker an der Geschichte der USA im Vordergrund steht. Die Fragestellung der Arbeit wird wie folgt formuliert: Wie wird die Vergangenheit in "Angels in America" und in "The Crucible" dargestellt? Welche Unterschiede gibt es zwischen den beiden Autoren und welche Einsichten in Fragen der amerikanischen Identität gewähren sie? Im zweiten Kapitel wird Millers Bild vom Amerika der Puritaner während der Kolonialzeit diskutiert. Sein Stück behandelt die Hexenjagd in Salem im Jahre 1692 und bietet daher einen ausführlichen Eindruck dieser Geschichtsperiode. Millers Darstellungen werden mit Kushners eher gering gehaltenen Anspielungen auf die frühe Entstehung und Entwicklung Amerikas verglichen. Das dritte Kapitel befasst sich mit McCarthyism und mit Amerika zu Beginn des Kalten Krieges. Da Arthur Millers Stück eine Allegorie auf die Hysterie während des antikommunistischen Kreuzzuges des Senators McCarthy in den 50er Jahren darstellt, werden die Parallelen zwischen Salem und dem Nachkriegsamerika analysiert. Tony Kushner beschäftigt sich ebenfalls mit McCarthyism, indem er zwei Zeitzeugen in seinem Stück auftreten lässt: Roy Cohn, der McCarthys Kollege und Vertrauter war und Ethel Rosenberg, ein Opfer des Antikommunismus. Die Ausführungen beider Dramatiker plädieren für die Wichtigkeit der Vergangenheit für Gegenwart und Zukunft Amerikas. Die Administration Ronald Reagans ist im vierten Kapitel von Bedeutung, da sich die Handlung von Angels in America primär zwischen 1985 und 1986 abspielt. Kushner verurteilt den Zeitgeist des extremen Konservatismus, des Individualismus und das Versagen Reagans im Angesicht der AIDS-Epidemie. Reagans Fokus auf family values bildet eine Schnittstelle für den Vergleich von Angels und Millers Stück. Obwohl The Crucible lange vor Reagans Präsidentschaft veröffentlicht wurde, spielt es in diesem Kapitel dennoch eine wichtige Rolle, weil Miller sich konkret mit Familienschicksalen beschäftigt. Im fünften Kapitel wird erläutert, welchen Stellenwert Tony Kushner und Arthur Miller der Religion in der amerikanischen Gesellschaft zuordnen. [...]
Table of Contents
I. The American Theater of Change - An Introduction
II. The American Settlement and Colonial History
2.1 An Overview
2.2 Arthur Miller’s Salem
2.2.1 Prevailing Themes in The Crucible
2.2.2 The People of Salem
2.2.3 The Villainy of Abigail Williams
2.2.4 Miller’s Changes
2.3 Early America according to Tony Kushner
2.4 Summary
III. The Age of McCarthyism
3.1 Cold-War America
3.1.1 The Political Landscape
3.1.2 The Crisis of American Masculinity
3.2 “Is the accuser always holy now?” - McCarthyism in The Crucible
3.2.1 Parallels between Salem and McCarthyism
3.2.2 Misremembering history
3.3 “A Saint of the Right”: Roy Cohn
3.3.1 Kushner’s Roy
3.4 Summary
IV. The Administration of Ronald Reagan
4.1 Dr. Feelgood
4.2 Kushner’s America under Reagan
4.2.1 The American Zeitgeist of the 1980s
4.2.2 Family Values
4.3 Summary: Family in The Crucible
V. The American Religion
5.1 Guilt and Responsibility in The Crucible
5.2 Kushner’s Angels
5.2.1 Sexuality and Religion
5.2.2 Judaism and Mormonism
5.3 Summary
VI. The Reinvention of the American Dream
6.1 Dream or Nightmare?
6.2 Miller’s Disillusionment
6.3 Tony Kushner’s Message of Interconnectedness
6.4 Summary
VII. “History is about to crack wide open” - A Conclusion
Objectives and Core Themes
This thesis examines the representation and function of history in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, exploring how both playwrights utilize images of the past to critique American society, politics, and identity. The central research question investigates the role of these historical depictions in deconstructing and reinventing the American Dream while assessing the authors' contributions to modern American consciousness.
- The comparative analysis of historical allegories within both plays.
- The exploration of McCarthyism as a parallel to the Puritan witch trials.
- The examination of the Reagan era and its impact on the social and political climate of the 1980s.
- The role of religion, guilt, and the family unit in constructing American national identity.
- The critical revaluation of the American Dream through the lens of political dramaturgy.
Excerpt from the Book
2.2 Arthur Miller’s Salem
Although The Crucible is most often interpreted as an analogy to the US-anticommunist witch hunts led by Senator McCarthy, its main setting is Puritan Massachusetts in 1692. Robert Warshow categorizes the events in Salem as one of the most horrible episodes in American history (cf. 112). Although Arthur Miller had been fascinated with this particular historical period for a long time, only the anticommunist crusade after the Second World War provided him with the proper atmosphere and inspiration for writing his play. As he claims, “[…] fear, like love, is mostly incommunicable once it has passed” (Miller 2008, 84). So, McCarthyism became Miller’s medium to provide his audience with comprehension of the incident in Salem before the play was used vice versa (cf. Foulkes 295-296). Therefore, The Crucible draws various connections between America in the ‘50s and colonial New England in order to relate the particular atmosphere to Miller’s contemporary audiences.
Summary of Chapters
I. The American Theater of Change - An Introduction: This chapter introduces the core motivation behind Kushner’s and Miller’s works, focusing on their use of history to engage with contemporary American political and social issues.
II. The American Settlement and Colonial History: This section analyzes how both playwrights utilize the Puritan era to reflect on foundational American principles and the origins of modern societal structures.
III. The Age of McCarthyism: This chapter investigates the anticommunist era, linking the hysteria of the 1950s to Miller’s The Crucible and the character of Roy Cohn in Kushner’s Angels in America.
IV. The Administration of Ronald Reagan: This part examines the political climate of the 1980s, critiquing Reagan’s rhetoric and policies through the prism of the family theme in both plays.
V. The American Religion: This chapter explores the diverse roles religion plays in the works of Miller and Kushner, contrasting institutionalized religious control with personal spirituality and liberal pluralism.
VI. The Reinvention of the American Dream: This final analytical chapter reevaluates how both authors deconstruct popular myths of the American past to offer new, albeit different, visions for the nation's future.
VII. “History is about to crack wide open” - A Conclusion: This summary reflects on the enduring relevance of both playwrights in understanding American identity and the necessity of confronting history to achieve progress.
Keywords
American Dream, McCarthyism, The Crucible, Angels in America, Arthur Miller, Tony Kushner, Puritanism, History, Political Theater, Cold War, Reagan Administration, Roy Cohn, Religion, Social Identity, Collective Memory
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic work?
The work provides a comparative analysis of how Arthur Miller and Tony Kushner use historical events to critique and mirror contemporary American social and political developments.
What are the central thematic fields covered in the research?
The main themes include the construction of American identity, the influence of religion on societal norms, the role of political allegory, and the critical deconstruction of the American Dream.
What is the main research objective of the study?
The study aims to determine the functions of historical images in these plays and how they contribute to the audience's understanding of American nationhood and identity.
Which scientific methods are employed throughout the text?
The author uses a comparative literature approach, analyzing historical texts, political context, and dramaturgical devices within Miller’s and Kushner’s plays.
What aspects are covered in the main body of the research?
The main body covers the Puritan settlement, the impact of McCarthyism, the socio-political climate under Ronald Reagan, and the interplay between religion and power dynamics in American history.
Which key terms best characterize this thesis?
Key terms include political theater, historical allegory, the American Dream, anticommunism, social critique, and the integration of personal and political identity.
How does the author characterize Roy Cohn in Kushner's work?
The author describes Cohn as a pivotal, complex figure who embodies the contradictions of power, hypocrisy, and the political climate of both the 1950s and the 1980s.
Does Arthur Miller portray the Salem witch trials as historically accurate?
No, the author argues that Miller manipulates historical events to create a functional allegory for his own time, emphasizing moral themes over absolute historical record.
How does the concept of the family differ between the two playwrights?
Miller uses the family as a mirror for societal stability and traditional values, whereas Kushner advocates for a community of liberal pluralism that transcends traditional, blood-related family definitions.
- Citar trabajo
- Victoria Schmitt (Autor), 2010, The American Theater of Change. Images of the Past in Tony Kushner's "Angels in America" and Arthur Miller's "The Crucible", Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/303287
