Equus by peter shaffer is one of the six set texts for the new edexcel a level the play. Pauls school in london and trinity college, cambridge. He set out to construct a fictional account of what might. In the united states, the play won the coveted tony award and went on to become a critically acclaimed major motion picture winning eight oscars, including best picture. Salieri is jealous not just of mozarts talent, but of the fact that god gave the talent to mozart spiteful, sniggering, conceited, infantine mozart.
Read equus online by peter shaffer books free 30day trial. Amadeus is a 1984 period drama film directed by milo forman and written by peter shaffer. In the 1970s peter shaffer wrote three major plays. Equus, a play in two acts, is set in rokesby psychiatric hospital in southern england. Essays and criticism on peter shaffer critical essays. Equus is a drama 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 shaffer was inspired to write equus when he heard of a crime involving a 17yearold who blinded six horses in a small town in suffolk. He initially worked at the new york public library and. Shaffer was born to a jewish family in liverpool, the son of reka nee fredman and jack shaffer, an estate agent. It depicts a psychiatrists fascination with a disturbed teenagers mythopoeic obsession with horses the drama unfolds through the eyes of martin dysart, a psychiatrist and an amateur mythologist, who narrates the events of his rehabilitation of alan strang, a 17yearold stable boy who has been arrested for. Alans pose represents a contour of great tenderness.
Shaffer was known for complex psychological portraits and for his love of music. 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. I know, i know, i still need to get the cast names in there and ill be eternally tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to drop. Black comedy a farce peter shaffer every play in the world. I know, i know, i still need to get the cast names in there and ill be eternally tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to. Carson cant keep up with rodney dangerfields nonstop oneliners 1974 duration. Equus by peter shaffer is one of the six set texts for the new edexcel a level syllabus. The focus of the play is as much dysart the man as it is dysart the psychiatrist. Peter shaffer poses with daniel radcliffe in january 2009 when the actor was honored with a portrait at sardis.
Existential authenticity in character, setting, and. Adapted from shaffer s stage play amadeus 1979, the story is a variation of alexander pushkins play mozart i salieri, 1830, in which the composer antonio salieri recognizes the genius of wolfgang amadeus mozart but thwarts him out of envy. However the play is also concerned with the destructive nature of ignorance and naivety. Equus script transcript from the screenplay andor richard burton. Like christ, equus must first suffer in order to bring salvation. Black comedy written by peter shaffer bench theatre. Equus is a drama 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 depicts a psychiatrists fascination with a disturbed teenagers mythopoeic obsession with horses. The author expressed his reservations about the plays translation into print text, concerned to stress the. Most of the action takes place in this hospitalspecifically in psychiatrist martin dysart s office. Equus act i, scenes 16 summary and analysis gradesaver. This passage is all too true, both in peter shaffers amadeus and in life in general. An explosive play that took critics and audiences by storm, equus is peter shaffers exploration of the way modern society has destroyed our ability to feel.
It depicts a psychiatrists fascination with a disturbed teenagers mythopoeic obsession with horses the drama unfolds through the eyes of martin dysart, a psychiatrist and an amateur mythologist, who narrates the events of his rehabilitation of alan strang, a 17yearold stable boy who has been. He wrote numerous awardwinning plays, of which several were adapted into films. Remembering the great amadeus and equus playwright peter. Jun 06, 2016 remarkably, though, peter shaffer achieved the feat in three successive decades. In a spotlight stands alan strang, a lean boy of seventeen, in sweater and jeans. Author peter shaffer sir peter shaffer b 1926 peter shaffer is the author of numerous awardwinning plays, several of which have been filmed. Through a psychiatrists analysis of the events, shaffer creates a chilling portrait of how materialism and convenience have killed our capacity for worship and passion and. Black comedy a farce peter shaffer every play in the. Equus play script software free download equus play.
Multiple links are listed since a different versions exist and b many scripts posted become unavailable over time. Comparitive analysis of power and control in equus and gattaca. Sir peter levin shaffer was an english dramatist, author of numerous awardwinning plays, several of which have been filmed. Equus is a play by peter shaffer written in, telling the story of a psychiatrist who attempts archived pdf from the original on 12 april retrieved 5. Equus play script, free equus play script software downloads, page 3. The best way for students to understand how they would play the. Shaffer wrote the screenplay for the film, which made stars out of tom hulce and f. Among his plays, the salt land 1954, equus 1973 which won shaffer the 1975 tony award for best play as well as the new york drama critics circle award, amadeus 1979 which won the evening standard drama award and the theatre critics award for the london production. English playwright sir peter shaffers international hit is a dazzling, complex, and thrilling look at passion, sex, religion, and sanity. Sir peter shaffer, in full sir peter levin shaffer, born may 15, 1926, liverpool, englanddied june 6, 2016, curraheen, county cork, ireland, british playwright of considerable range who moved easily from farce to the portrayal of human anguish.
Afterwards, he says, they always embrace the animal digs his sweaty brow. These are, of course, shaffers most famous plays and are the most frequently performed and studied one good reason for devoting two chapters to the analysis. Alan will be saved, he says, by riding away on equusthe horse can thus be interpreted as alans escape from the pressures of his family life and modern society. British playwright peter shaffer, who wrote the plays equus and amadeus, has died in ireland. Adapted from shaffers stage play amadeus 1979, the story is a variation of alexander pushkins play mozart i salieri, 1830, in which the composer antonio salieri recognizes the genius of wolfgang amadeus mozart but thwarts him out of envy. The drama unfolds through the eyes of martin dysart, a psychiatrist and an amateur mythologist, who narrates the events of. Shaffer was inspired to write equus when he heard of a crime involving a 17yearold who blinded six horses in a small town in suffolk. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of equus by peter shaffer. His screenplay for equus 1977 was also nominated for a oscar.
Remembering the great amadeus and equus playwright. Theatre and drama, madeleine macmurraughkavanagh veconnect 20141202. Equus by peter shaffer, 9780743287302, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook. Sir peter shaffer, in full sir peter levin shaffer born may 15, 1926, london, eng. As psychiatrist martin dysart struggles to understand the motivation for alans brutality, he is. The trouble is if you dont spend your life yourself, other people spend it for you. Equus is a dramatic work written by english playwright peter shaffer in 1973. Remarkably, though, peter shaffer achieved the feat in three successive decades.
Finally, the equus script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the richard burton horse movie based on the peter shaffer play. Through a psychiatrists analysis of the events, shaffer creates a chilling portrait of how materialism and convenience have killed our capacity for worship. Equus, drama in two acts by peter shaffer, produced and published in 1973. Pdf amadeus a play by peter shaffer download ebook for free. Peter shaffer wanted to make elaborate theatre the guardian. In the middle of peter shaffers equus, the psychiatrist dysart discusses his vacation plans. Equus tells the disturbing story of a 17year old stable boy, and amadeus is the story of mozart and court composer, salieri. Amadeus and equus playwright peter shaffer is dead.
The exam requires students to explore how they would realise key extracts from the play. The royal hunt of the sun was adapted for film in 1969, as was equus in 1977. Its publication definitely brought an innovative spirit to the contemporary theatre. Writing for theatre arts in february, 1960, peter shaffer made a declaration of independence. 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. 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. Equus play project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Jun 06, 2016 british playwright peter shaffer, who wrote the plays equus and amadeus, has died in ireland. Equus play script software free download equus play script. Peter shaffer 19262016 was inspired to write equus by the chance remark of. Equus script taken from a transcript of the screenplay andor the richard burton horse movie based on the peter shaffer play. The script of the play was written subsequently to its production. Equus script transcript from the screenplay andor richard.
Born to a jewish family in liverpool, he is also the twin brother of another playwright, anthony shaffer. The atrocity was committed by an unassuming seventeenyearold stable boy named alan strang, the only son of an opinionated but inwardlytimid father and a genteel, religious mother. Sir peter shaffer, in full sir peter levin shaffer, born may 15, 1926, liverpool, englanddied june 6, 2016, curraheen, county cork, ireland, british playwright of considerable range who moved easily from farce to the portrayal of human anguish shaffer was educated at st. A psychiatrist, martin dysart, investigates the savage blinding of six horses with a metal spike in a stable in hampshire, england. 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. Get close to the stars and experience one of the most beautiful theatres in the uk read more. Alan will be saved, he says, by riding away on equus the horse can thus be interpreted as alans escape from the pressures of his family life and modern society. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay andor viewings of equus. Martin dysart, a psychiatrist, is confronted with alan strang, a boy who has blinded six horses in a. However, as characters in dysarts office discuss and reconstruct past events in the life of alan strang, the plays central character, they play out these events as full scenes, oscillating between. Dysart discovers a fervent, passionate, almost religious power that has both the power to destroy alan, and perhaps, to save the doctor himself.
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