Equus
by Peter Shaffer
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Book Summary Information
Author: Peter ShafferEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-10-04
ISBN: 0743287304
Number of pages: 128
Publisher: Scribner
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780743287302
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Equus
Book Review: Equus: Galloping Through Life
Summary: 5 Stars
I was introduced to the title Equus when my high school's winterline played the "Equus Song". The music had a constant tempo with complex and driving rhythms, and a suspenseful melody. The book Equus, written by Peter Shaffer, matched the flow of th music with heavy foreshadowing in the beginning of the book, quickly coming to a climax.
This play was written in the 19720s, inspired by a true story. It was set in a small town, a town where everyone seems to know each other, and "downtown" was only a couple blocks away. The innocent setting soon gives way the the cruel events that are about to take place. The cruelty of Alan's actions is beyond the comprehension of many people in this unsuspecting town. Dalton, the owner of the stables, the place of Alan's crime, asks "Look...why would anyone do that?"
The play opens with a teenage boy stroking a horse, and a psychiatrist, Dysart, observing him. As Dysart watches the boy, his observations quickly turn into questions, which is Dysart's way of expressing his bewilderment at the workings of mankind. Shaffer skillfully integrates this case study with themes related to the dysfunction and cruelty of mankind when it is pushed past its tolerance level for sanity. The play proceeds through the investigation of Alan's crime through interviews and personal narratives. The suspense begins to increase as Alan tells more of his story. Suddenly, Alan breaks and tells Dysart everything. He tells the events of that night in detail, leaving the audience in shock at his sudden snap and stunned into silence at Alan's story. After telling his story, Alan throws a fit, and has to be calmed down by Dysart. At the very end, Dysart is asked to "heal" Alan. But going through this journey with Alan tells him that Alan will never be completely healed. He says, "my desire might be to make this boy an ardent husband, a caring citizen, a worshiper of an abstract and unifying God". (Scene 35, pg. 108) He knows though, that Alan's horrifying act was a desperate reach fro freedom from himself and his mind. Dysart realizes that by trying to "heal" Alan, he would be forcing him back to the realities of the world that we live in, and that he would be "more likely to make a ghost."
I was amazed with the themes of this book; it led me to wonder what would happen to the world in the light of immense emotional pressure. My big question was: What keeps us sane? This book was relatively easy to read, and I finished it in one day. Shaffer's writing keeps the reader engaged, with its constant acceleration to its climax. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone.
Summary of Equus
An explosive play that took critics and audiences by storm, Equus is Peter Shaffer's exploration of the way modern society has destroyed our ability to feel passion. Alan Strang is a disturbed youth whose dangerous obsession with horses leads him to commit an unspeakable act of violence. As psychiatrist Martin Dysart struggles to understand the motivation for Alan's brutality, he is increasingly drawn into Alan's web and eventually forced to question his own sanity. Equus is a timeless classic and a cornerstone of contemporary drama that delves into the darkest recesses of human existence.British & Irish Books
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