Sunday, June 9, 2013
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
ABOUT ME
This page was designed for a Grade 12 Culminating Unit conducted by English taecher, Mr. Bailey.
--------------------------------------
This page is a research WIKI of the 1973 play, Equus.
To read the entries, please look for the "READ MORE" button located on the bottom right side of every post.
To add a comment, click on the post you would like to comment and scroll all the way to the bottom. Make sure you're logged in. Don't be afraid to comment!
**Note: Each contribution will be signed by the student.
Bibliography
‘Equus’ Peter Shaffer. Editor Adrian Burke – Longman Literature.
Review: Equus
BBC Review: Equus
Allrovi Movie Review: Equus
IMDB Movie Review: Equus
BBC Theatre Review: Equus
--------------------------------------
Layout, About Me, Social Links Related, and Video section edited by Winnie Mac
Social Links Related
The played ended with Dysart talking about Alan and how this entire time he was jealous of him because Alan can have a "life" have included sexual interaction where Dysart cant. He stared to speak out some inappropriate comments about Alan as well. Even though there is a huge age difference between Alan and Dysart, why should Dysart think like that? He is a psychiatrist, and Alan is just a 17 year old boy what does he know. Why couldnt he be jealous of someone else? what do you guys think?
ReplyDeleteIn the end of the play, Dysart is left with two options. One is leaving Alan with his worship, but with intense psychic pain and the other option is “curing” Alan by destroying his passion. Dysart struggles picking between the two options and that shows us the changes he had made throughout the play. In the beginning we see him as representing the normal society and we see him try to push the idea of being normal on to his patients. But as the story line develops, his opinions change. Alan challenges him making him think differently. Then Dysart ends up finding him self envying Alan’s passion, obsession, and worship and sees these attributes as a positive thing to have. But that raises the question of is Dysart more concerned about Alan's welfare or his own? Does Dysart actually consider the fact that Alan might not want to be "cured". Why do you think that Alan reveal his inner world to Dysart.
ReplyDeleteI think that Alan reveled his inner world to Dysart becase, Dysart is the only one who does not judge him or tell him wrong. Dysart listens and accepts. Whereas his father, Frank may give Alan a judgmental comment sometimes, or Dora who doesnt listen to him, she keeps teaching him religious events. So Alan believes that Dysart is the only one he could talk to about his religion/sexual life.
ReplyDeletePrior to the first question Winnie purposed I think it's pretty obvious that Dysart is more concerned about his welfare, if he wasn't concerned about his life expenses he wouldn't be working as a psychiatrist in the hospital just to realize that this isn't his desired occupation. And for the second question in my opinion I think the spotlight should be more focused on Dysart then Alan. It's if Dysart "wants" to cure Alan or not because in the story Alan is just lost he has no sense of direction of where to go so it's up to Dysart to either let Alan continue to believe in what he worships and let him follow his passion or shape him to what society wants him to be, a battle between dreams and reality.
ReplyDeleteWhy should Dysart have the spotlight? Isn't the storyline revolving around Alan? I do agree with your first statement Jason but I think that without Alan the story would not go far. We do see in that Dysart's job is to "normalize" his patients, but when it came to Alan, it was a totally different situation. Dysart had many patients but what made the story interesting is Alan. Alan was Dysart's eye opener. In my opinion, yes, Dysart is one of the major characters in this play but Alan is more important.
ReplyDeleteDysart does not deserve to have the spotlight. This play is about Alan and how normality and religion effects a society vs. individual. That is Alan he is the main character in the play and he is the one that is experiencing with horses not Dysart. Dysart is jealous and deceiving. It is not Alan's fault that Dysart can not sexually interact with his wife.
ReplyDeleteThe play kind of revolves around both characters so it can give the theme of mental illness vs society/religion. Alan is the instrument of mental illness and Dysart kind of represents society and religion. Though it's abnormal to have such an obsession like Alan did, society goes against it because it offends them in a way, but then again they envy the power to believe. Again, my point is it's a pattern of society vs illness and both parties have endless arguments so I think both characters share the spotlight.
ReplyDeleteI personality do not think Dysart had to do much with religion but I do see how he would represent the society. His job was basically to "cure" his patients back to "normal", which is the society's standards/opinions of a person being normal.
ReplyDeleteAs for the spotlight, we should keep in mind that Dysart is retelling the story of Alan's case to the audience. Therefore, in my opinion, Dysart chose this specific case because Alan made such a huge impact on his life and thoughts. This leads to Alan playing the more important role.
Dysart is there to help solve Alan's problems but he later on realizes that his life is not the life that he initially thought it was. Because of Alan, Dysart had to rethink his life.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWell at least we know what Alan did to get him to where he was. I'm pretty sure we all agree what happened was weird and kind of horrific at the same time. There wasnt really a solution either, the play ended differently from what I expected.
ReplyDeleteI saw the movie, Richard Burton playing Dysart.
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder if nobody heard the part about fixation, what fixated Alan on the horses? I'd say his joy at riding the horse which ended in the trauma of his hysterical father yanking him off and him getting hurt. Somehow, he then mixed up all this in his mind with the Biblical story involving horses.
There is no cure for a person sexually fixated on horses and delusional to the point that he sees a horse instead of girl and hence, can't even function with the girl. Then thinks the horses are watching him and he blinds them. There is no cure for that. It's not just weird. It's not passion, either. It's pure psychosis, pure insanity. I guess he either got shock therapy or a lobotomy at the end.
As for the doctor, imo, the author was commenting on repressive WASP life at the time. Dysart in the movie even mocks out his own trips to Greece. All regimented, nothing spontaneous there. Typically WASP.
Neither does this have to do with apollonian versus dionysian. The normal is a blend of the two: practical and logical along with joy in life. That's normal.
Nowhere in the movie does it say that Dysart can't have sex with his wife. They obvious did when they fell in love. But now - not at all for them. Imo, that's the wasp repressive society at work there. The two just fell apart and instead of just moving on, they stay together and "endure."
I saw the movie, Richard Burton playing Dysart.
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder if nobody heard the part about fixation, what fixated Alan on the horses? I'd say his joy at riding the horse which ended in the trauma of his hysterical father yanking him off and him getting hurt. Somehow, he then mixed up all this in his mind with the Biblical story involving horses.
There is no cure for a person sexually fixated on horses and delusional to the point that he sees a horse instead of girl and hence, can't even function with the girl. Then thinks the horses are watching him and he blinds them. There is no cure for that. It's not just weird. It's not passion, either. It's pure psychosis, pure insanity. I guess he either got shock therapy or a lobotomy at the end.
As for the doctor, imo, the author was commenting on repressive WASP life at the time. Dysart in the movie even mocks out his own trips to Greece. All regimented, nothing spontaneous there. Typically WASP.
Neither does this have to do with apollonian versus dionysian. The normal is a blend of the two: practical and logical along with joy in life. That's normal.
Nowhere in the movie does it say that Dysart can't have sex with his wife. They obvious did when they fell in love. But now - not at all for them. Imo, that's the wasp repressive society at work there. The two just fell apart and instead of just moving on, they stay together and "endure."