The Normal Heart Sparknotes

1497 Words3 Pages

Anthony Perkins said, “I have learned more about love, selflessness, and human understanding from the people I have met in this great adventure in the world of AIDS than I ever did in the cutthroat, competitive world in which I spent my life”. Through the lens of Bert O. States essay "The World On Stage", Larry Kramer's play The Normal Heart illuminates the pervasive performative nature of human interactions, portraying how individuals navigate societal norms, construct their identities, and grapple with self-awareness amidst the backdrop of the AIDS crisis, ultimately revealing the interconnectedness between personal struggles and broader cultural dynamics on the stage of life. The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer is a powerful and impassioned play that revolves around the early years of the AIDS epidemic …show more content…

States believe that by understanding and harnessing the power of performance, we can create more inclusive, equitable, and just societies. His perspective on theater and performance is influenced by his interdisciplinary background and his experiences as a scholar and practitioner. As a professor of theater and performance studies, States has extensively researched and written about the intersections between performance, culture, and society. His work is informed by his engagement with diverse academic disciplines and his belief in the transformative potential of theater and performance as vehicles for social and political critique. By summarizing both The Normal Heart and “The World On Stage”, while providing historical context, we can apply them to one another to understand the importance of putting the AIDS epidemic on the world stage for all to see. Throughout the entire story of The Normal Heart, we see a constant need for activism and these characters fighting for what they believe is

Open Document