It gives exemplar paragraphs, detailed top tips and is written by an experienced exam marker. The play is set in the present at a psychiatric hospital. Equus summary supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. He is depicted in the play as an ordinary person who has fantasies of leaving his office and heading to greece, where he dreams that his life would be exciting. Due to this, authenticity is shown in the aspect of setting. Your character analysis paper on equus is due wednesday, nov. Peter shaffers equus is the painful story of a conflicted young man who is suppressed by societys. Similar to that of the setting, the characters, including animals such as horses are shown to be prominent in the area of authenticity and inauthenticity. In equus, shaffer has given us a chorus of horses who produce the equus noise, a kind of choral chant made up of voices and sounds. Equus summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Stay uptodate on ways to keep your horse healthy, sound and happy. Martin dysart, alans psychiatrist, is one of the central characters in the play. Onstage, it is a visually engaging masterpiece, where the complexity of breathing life into characters and settings by the perfected interplay between actors and the stage is an enthralling and emotional experience for all those involved. As the deeply conflicted psychiatrist dysart, richard griffiths delivers this line with wonderful restraint to an audience in the new broadway revival of peter schaffers 1973 play, equus.
It was actually one of the monologues i used to audition for elons program. The book is huge and the physical act of turning such big pages creates drama, as the next image unfolds. There are two main characters in the play, martin dysart and alan strang, the. The staging devised by john dexter for the original national theatre production of equus in 1973 immediately confronts the audience with the significance of sight. Peter shaffers play, duly enshrined as one of the decades best, benefited from the limitations of the stage in telling its story of a strange young man driven to blind six horses. Alans pose represents a contour of great tenderness.
A critical analysis equus was written by peter shaffer in. Analysis of the book equus by peter shaffer 998 words 4 pages equus is a play by peter shaffer written in 1973, telling the story of a psychiatrist who attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological religious fascination with horses. Thought i would share some of the activities ive put together to support exploration of this text for component 3. In the play equus, what is peter shaffer saying about the power of horses and. The action takes place after the event in the hospital which the courts have remanded alan, and while the crime is central to the play, the play revolves around the character of the. In equus, it is described to be a memory play held in the mind of martin dysart, after the incident with a boy named alan strang. Equus study guide contains a biography of peter shaffer, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and. As we read, examine the mental state of the character you chose to analyze. Discussion of themes and motifs in peter shaffers equus.
In the climax, dysart gives alan a placebo truth pill and revealing a tryst with jill, begins to reenact the event. Equus was inspired by a true story shaffer heard from a friend about a stable boy in england who blinded twentysix horses. Equus study guide from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Through deeper analysis and through reading outside criticisms, one can definitely see that shaffer wrote this piece to make the reader deeply question the real conflicts that are in the play. Dysart substitutes the vicarious experience of reading books on the cultural shelf.
During the ritual, alan leads a horse into a field and rides it bareback and naked, shouting in praise of equus until he reaches a spiritual and sexual climax. Equus study guide contains a biography of peter shaffer, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Equus is a 1973 play by peter shaffer about a young stableboy who is driven to madness by his emotional pain, insecurity, and his inability to face his past in a rational manner. Theres 12 offtheshelf activities that have gone down well with my learners. This study guide consists of approximately 30 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of equus.
Equus is the dramatization of a psychologically damaged young man, alan, who, for no known reason, blinded six horses with a hoof pick at the stables he worked at. He stabs the eyes of six horses, blinding them, because he thinks they are watching him. By the 1970s, for example, the vast majority of british citizens owned a television set. Equus characters from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. The characterisation of martin dysart a significant character. Alan strang, the main character of the story, is a mentally unstable teenager whose perception of life is distorted. Next, please read the article on college admissions and use any of the prompt ideas for your own writing. Peter shaffers play, equus, tells a young mans story of faith and struggle. Related questions and answers for characters in equus. For example, one structuralist approach might consider the writings of foucault, in his book discipline and punish 1975, as an appropriate framework in which to read the play. This is not an example of the work produced by our essay writing service. Analysis and discussion of characters in peter shaffers equus.
Equus is a play in 35 scenes, all of which take place without a set change. Each character has hisher individuality along with hisher own perspective of life. Act 1, scene 7 analysis aside from adding more clues andor evidence to the mystery the horse picture, the word equus, the bible references, the horseandriderasa god story, the essential purpose of this scene is to define relationships in the strang family the rivalry between dora and frank, their respective influences on alan. Equus is not only the object of alans sexual worship.
In ancient greece, alans passion for equus might be seen as one of many ways to interact spiritually with the world. Join stageagent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Equus component 3 a level drama and theatre edexcel. Designed for a level component 3, as level component 2. This is because foucault writes about ways in which those who have committed crimes can be rehabilitated, by examining the structures of society and of discipline. The blinding of horses is something that works a great deal better as stage symbolism than as cinematic fact, and thats one of the several things wrong with the way equus has been brought to the screen. Indepth summary and analysis of every act of equus. The best study guide to equus on the planet, from the creators of sparknotes.
Equus, by peter shaffer is a good example that relates to the courses theme. The very shape of the set echoes that of an eye albeit with a square iris with an inner square that rolls around within a circle edged by curved benches. Equus setting peter shaffer this study guide consists of approximately 30 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of equus. The theme of religion and worship in equus from litcharts. Equus s threat that he is always watching and judging echoes the christian notion that the lord is a jealous godthat there is only one true god and any false idols are not of that god.
Get an answer for what are some examples of metatheatre or metadrama in equus by peter shaffer. Through alan, shaffer explores mans relationship with god and himself, the concept of pain and passion, and eventually, shame. In dysarts view, alans worship of equus is true worship, and he sees the boy as lucky to be able to experience moments of absolute rapture, moments that dysart has never and will never know. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this equus study guide and get instant access to the following. In a spotlight stands alan strang, a lean boy of seventeen, in sweater and jeans. Equus extra are free, indepth reports that deliver the most relevant topics in horse. In the cu production, all the actors, equine and human, stay on stage throughout the entire performance. On paper, peter shaffers equus is extraordinarily vivid piece of literature. Equus plot summary, character breakdowns, context and analysis, and performance video clips.
Please complete a clockwork orange and prepare for a test on the book. Equus is a 1974 tony awardwinning play written by peter schaffer and published in 1973. The chorus will create the equus noise, a mixture of humming, thumping, and stamping that illustrates the presence of equus the god. Need a minimum of 5 and find homework help for other equus questions at enotes. Alan is really an example of what different types of people do to. Alan pictured equus when he was having sex with jill, this is how shaffer brought sexual emotion into the play. Analysis of the book equus by peter shaffer 998 words bartleby. Jill, who had taken an interest in alan, had asked him to take her to a. It is stunning, thoughtprovoking and inspirational, without any text to get in the way of your.
The creators of sparknotes equus study guide from litcharts. This summary of equus includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. I had to read the play and write the essay in one night. The stages minimalist design allows for seamless transitions between locations and times. Equus martin dysart, in the play equus, is a child psychiatrist who tries to heal alan after he commits the barbaric act of blinding six horses. Dysart is both bewildered and excited by this revelation, and encourages alan to reveal more about his crime of blinding the horses by giving him a fake truth drug, a pill that alan believes will force him to speak the truth. In the reading equus, alan strang commits a horrible crime. Alan also envisions himself as a king, on the godhead equus, both destroying their enemies. This booklet is designed to prepare students to respond to actor and designer questions on edexcels settext equus.
Shaffer was inspired to write equus by the chance to be shown on the british broadcasting corporation. I believe that this book will be the new standard by which artistic animal photography will be judged. Analysis of the book equus by peter shaffer 998 words 4 pages. In equus, which took critics and public alike by storm and has gone on to become a modern classic, peter shaffer depicts the story of a deranged youth who blinds six horses with a spike. It looks at every element involved in the production and execution of the play from the lighting, stage design, costumes, up to and including the level of the acting itself. Indeed, alan blinded the horses because he was shamed, not merely of his inability to perform, but more so because equus. Edexcel 2016 specification written paper equus revision.
Shaffer was fascinated by the event, and without knowing any other details about it, set about imagining, in his words, a mental world in which the deed could be made comprehensible. Analysis of equus by peter shaffer 1214 words bartleby. Ive always been really fascinated with the play equus, from which ive performed a monologue several times. The play is not only an extremely useful source book for an understanding of. Equus is a play by peter shaffer written in 1973, telling the story of a psychiatrist who attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological religious fascination with horses. It tells the story of a psychiatrist treating a teenager who has blinded six horses in the stable where he works. Through a psychiatrists analysis of the events, shaffer creates a chilling portrait of how.
Analysis of equus by peter shaffer1214 words 5 pages classroom readings. Like all theatric successes, equus has endured various convoluted productions. Equus is a play by peter shaffer written in 1973, telling the story of a psychiatrist who attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological. Read the four sources linked above in preparation for our discussion of the novel next class. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of equus. Peter shaffers equus is the painful story of a conflicted young man who is suppressed by societys dictation of what is acceptable. What are some examples of metatheatre or metadrama in. In the book, peter shaffer describes that, a square of wood set on a circle of wood.
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