May 19, · Equus wants to be ridden by Alan but he does not show Alan how to ride him: “He showed me nothing! He’s a mean bugger! Ride — or fall! That’s Straw Law” (Equus 39). Equus is no pagan idol; he is unmistakably the Judeo-Christian God, “born in the straw” [39] (stable of Bethlehem) and wearing the “sandals” [40] of Christ Peter Shaffer's Equus was composed to express the values of the composer, namely, that of the issue of conformity. A responder from different circumstances, though, can readily value other things conveyed in the text, dependant on what is important in their lives. A feminist would focus on the importance of women in the text.4/5(2) Oct 09, · Essay On Equus. Peter Shaffer’s Equus is neither great theatre nor bad psychology, but it has elements of both. It is an exhilarating play: a remarkable blend of delayed exposition and theatrical effect, of melodrama and circus, which has inspired huge ticket sales and adoring critical reviews
Equus Essay Questions | GradeSaver
As a psychiatrist, Dysart has dedicated his career to making children normal, finding the root cause of whatever has troubled them mentally in order to eliminate it and allow them to lead normal, pain-free lives. But as Alan's treatment goes on, Dysart finds it harder and harder to define exactly what normal is and why it is better that Alan be normal. Equus argues first that there is no one way to be normal, and second, that normal is not always desirable, since a normal life can be dull and passionless. In many ways, Dysart and Alan are two sides of the same coin, equus essay. Dysart equus essay an adult who is dissatisfied with his dull, equus essay, monotonous life.
Alan is a child living a life full of passion, but also full of pain. Both are dissatisfied with their familial situations, since the people closest to them—Dysart's wife and Alan's parents—do not truly understand them. Both feel confined by the circumstances of their lives. At many points equus essay the play the two switch roles, and Alan unwittingly becomes the therapist for the therapist. How does the narrative style of the play influence the audience's perception of the story? Shaffer chooses to tell the story from the perspective of a narrator looking back on the situation as it unfolded. From the very beginning, the audience knew how Dysart would eventually feel about treating Alan, which creates a sense of dramatic irony.
Equus essay do not know, equus essay, however, the reasons why Alan committed his crime, or the details surrounding it. As the story unfolds, audiences are kept interested as clues are slowly revealed, with the anticipation heightened by narrator-Dysart's occasional soliloquies lamenting what has happened. The photograph of the horse that Alan received from equus essay father took the place of a religious painting in Alan's bedroom, equus essay was the first sign that horses held some kind of religious significance in his mind. The story Frank told about the religious chanting in his bedroom at age eleven confirmed this, and it was in this moment that Equus was officially "born" as a Christlike figure. Finally, equus essay, Equus is in chains, bound as Jesus was equus essay the cross, suffering as a result of humanity's sins, equus essay.
Dysart makes multiple allusions to his love for Greece in equus essay beginning of the play, but the audience does not find out why he is so enthralled by it until his conversation with Equus essay, in which he wishes he had someone to take there with him to truly understand. Dysart loves Ancient Greece because of its abundance of worship. Gods lived in everything there, he says, in buildings, nature, equus essay, and even people themselves. Gods were widespread and accepted in their different forms the way they are not in present-day society, and he envies the excitement and passion surrounding them. Though her character is not as prominent as the others, Hesther still serves an important role in furthering the story.
Hesther was the one who originally argued to have Alan sent to Dysart, so naturally she is Dysart's voice of reason as he begins to doubt the morality of his career, ensuring him that taking Alan's pain away is truly the right thing to do. Hesther is also subtly contrasted with Dysart's wife, though we never encounter her in person; she listens and responds to Dysart in a way that Margaret never did. Jill, a young, compassionate, pretty girl, equus essay, enters this play as a test to see whether Alan's desires can truly be normal.
At first he does not show the expected interest in her, and it appears that he only agrees to go on a date with her because he knows that is what would be expected of him. Later on, equus essay, though, it seems that he actually wants to sleep with her. But he fails his test of normalcy when he cannot remove the image of Equus from his mind when he touches Jill, since the idea of intimacy with someone other than his god is so blasphemous. For both Alan and Dysart, dreams serve as a visual representation of their latent doubts and equus essay that they do not confront during the day. This fits with the psychoanalytic theory of the unconscious, or the mind beneath the surface: dreams like Dysart's sacrifice dream and Alan's nightmares bring up elements of discomfort from deep in their minds so that they will at last face them.
In uncovering the root causes behind Alan's crime, Dysart must determine whether his deviance stemmed from something innate in who he is, or from the circumstances of his upbringing. In reality, it is a little of both; yes, Alan's unconventional worship comes from inside of him, but his parents are not completely innocent as Dora insists they are; their controlling and confining methods of parenting made Alan feel a lack of freedom, equus essay, and he looked to his newfound religion as a means of achieving this fulfillment. At the end of the play, Alan's fate is left ambiguous. It does seem that Dysart has decided to alleviate Alan's pain and work to help him banish Equus forever, but a final statement is never made, equus essay.
Instead, Dysart uses his last soliloquy to focus on himself. He talks about his own pain and his own freedom, restricted by metaphorical chains similar to the ones Equus wears, equus essay. The play starts and ends with Dysart, because Dysart has undergone the largest transformation out of all of the characters, coming to doubt and question his career and his life's purpose more so than he ever had before. The Question and Answer section for Equus is a great resource to ask questions, equus essay, find answers, and discuss the novel. Why is more to blame equus essay Alans Actions? Dora or Frank, and why? I believe that Frank and Dora are equally responsible. Dora is a devout Christian, who shared her beliefs with her son. Her husband is the exact opposite and publicly criticized his wife.
None-the-less, equus essay, both parents are controlling, and their image Comparison: Christ pic at end of bed vs replacement horse pic. why is dysart so interested in greek mythology and greek history. Equus study guide contains a biography of Peter Shaffer, literature essays, quiz questions, equus essay, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Equus essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written equus essay by students and provide critical analysis of Equus by Peter Shaffer.
Remember me. Forgot your password? Buy Study Guide. Does this question relate to the novel "Equus"? Study Guide for Equus Equus study guide contains a biography of Peter Shaffer, equus essay, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. About Equus Equus Summary Character List Glossary Themes Read the Study Guide for Equus…. Essays for Equus Equus essays are academic essays for citation. Lesson Plan for Equus About the Author Study Objectives Common Core Standards Introduction to Equus Relationship to Other Books Bringing in Technology Notes to the Teacher Related Links Equus Bibliography View the lesson plan for Equus…. Wikipedia Entries for Equus Introduction Plot summary Original Broadway production Film adaptation Revivals View Wikipedia Entries for Equus….
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Equus essaysThe play "Equus", written by Peter Shaffer, creates a psychological thriller that explore deeply into the misguided intentions of religious Alan Strang. Alan Strang is playing as a seventeen-year-old boy that is repressed and forces to fit into a rational society. From the pr Essay On Equus. Peter Shaffer’s Equus is neither great theatre nor bad psychology‚ but it has elements of both. It is an exhilarating play: a remarkable blend of delayed exposition and theatrical effect‚ of melodrama and circus‚ which has Oct 09, · Essay On Equus. Peter Shaffer’s Equus is neither great theatre nor bad psychology, but it has elements of both. It is an exhilarating play: a remarkable blend of delayed exposition and theatrical effect, of melodrama and circus, which has inspired huge ticket sales and adoring critical reviews
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