Equus is as complex as the human mind. Exploring psychological questions such as what does it mean to be normal‚ and should individuality be sacrificed for the sake of normality? Whilst propelling a mystery‚ crime story‚ and a psychological thriller‚ Peter Shaffer’s Equus examines the minds of a young stable boy who has blinded several horses and the aging psychiatrist asked to "cure" him. But would a "cure" really normalize the teenager? A seventeen year old boy‚ Alan is brought to a psychiatric
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In Equus‚ Shaffer uses Dysart’s monologue to explore whether it is better to rehabilitate or incarcerate children whom commit crimes‚ while in Border Crossing‚ Barker uses dialogue. Shaffer uses Dysart’s opening monologue to show that while rehabilitation seems more effective than incarceration‚ it can leave people with no worship or imagination. Dysart states that ‘[he’s] officiating at some... ritual sacrifice… the sacrifice is a herd of children‚’ indicating that Dysart knows that although he
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Diego Avelar Psychology Mini Paper #3 Nov. 19th‚ 2013 Dr. Kenneth Anich The movie Equus by Peter Shaffer is psychological thriller‚ in which Freudian psychology is vividly portrayed; Self-Defense Mechanisms‚ interpretations of dreams‚ the pleasure principle‚ and death drive (Thanatos). The main character‚ 17-year-old Alan Strang‚ is sent to psychiatrist Martin Dysart‚ after he gouges out the eyes of 6 horses. Throughout the movie‚ Dysart struggles with the possibility of curing Alan‚ stripping
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Compare and contrast the ways in which ‘The Crucible’ and Equus’ follow when religious faith turns into religious mania. How far does the two text attempt to present a more positive attitude to a life lived in faith? The plays ‘Equus’ and ‘The Crucible’ both explore the positive aspects of religion and its damaging qualities. The critic Mitchel Hay suggests that ‘The parental‚ adolescent and professional conflicts exhibited by Peter Shaffer’s Equus need not be disruptive. They can be fed into a crucible
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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. And it is that increasingly rare serious drama which capitalizes on lurid events while maintaining a devotion to ‘‘ideas.’’ Yet‚ in spite of its wide popular acclaim‚ Equus is difficult to sort out even when all the clues
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Equus Peter Shaffer Online Information For the online version of BookRags’ Equus Premium Study Guide‚ including complete copyright information‚ please visit: http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-equus/ Copyright Information ©2000-2007 BookRags‚ Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The following sections of this BookRags Premium Study Guide is offprint from Gale’s For Students Series: Presenting Analysis‚ Context‚ and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction‚ Author Biography‚ Plot Summary‚ Characters
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Existentialism The term existentialism has been applied to the human subject in all aspects of the individual. Through the ideas of existentialism‚ philosophers have looked at the existence of the human being. An existential attitude of the world is one of confusion and belief in a meaningless world. The beliefs of existentialism came about as a complete change from the beliefs of periods like the Romantic period. This philosophical view of life came about in the 19th century. These ideas
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Period 5 Existentialism Existentialism focuses on the idea that life has no meaning and is considered absurd. Existential philosophers believe that humans create their own values and determine a meaning for their lives because‚ from the start‚ the human being does not possess any inherent value or identity. “Existence precedes essence” is one of the most well-known existential statements and describes how our concrete being is more important than its purpose. The existentialism movement introduced
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Review of World Literature in English‚ Vol. 1‚ No. I – Jan‚ 2005 EXISTENTIALISM IN ANITA DESAI’S FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN NAGAPPAN SETHURAMAN Existentialism as a philosophy is historically and culturally of European origin. Ever since it was recognised as the dominating philosophy of the West in the midtwentieth century‚ it has left “its impact on literature [which] has both been substantial and significant” (Chatterji 10). Existentialism does not offer a set of doctrines or a single philosophy system
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Existentialism is defined as the idea that man creates his own experiences and responsibilities. You can either be a pessimistic existentialist or an optimistic existentialist. A pessimistic existentialist is a person that has a negative outlook on life. They are usually more realistic about the way that things can turn out. This prepares them for something bad to happen‚ so they won’t be surprised and will be able to deal with it. Being a pessimist can also have some negative effects though. If
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