Passion in Peter Shaffers Equus Essay -- Peter Shaffer, Equus

In Peter Shaffers genus Equus, A psychiatrist, Martin Dysart, is conductingan investigating on Alan Strang. He is learning, through hisinvestigation of Alans horrific crime, ab fall out what it really elbow room tomake some unity normal and what a psychiatrist really does.It is the suppose of Dysart to find the motive of Alans actions, but heis not prepared for what he learns. After meeting Alan, Dysart has a intake. This dream is of a ritual return in Greece. Dysarts passionlies in Greece. He has al slipway wanted to deal in something greatthan himself. He wants to be connected to a greater power and meaning.As he tells Hester on page 82, The finicky, critical conserve lookingthrough is art books on mythical Greece. What worship has he everknown? Real worship Without worship you shrink, its as round-eyed asthat I shrank my own life. He is criticizing himself on not essay toachieve that dream of passion he has always had. In this dream heplays the high chief in the ritual. H e is the most all-important(prenominal) person inthe ritual, signifying a psychiatrist. Slicing open children andripping out their intestines. This signifies taking out what makes aperson unique. This dream personifies what psychiatry is, its qualifiedeveryone into one mold, taking out their originality and destroyingtheir passion.The next day he starts his investigation of Alan. Trying to piecetogether his life to find out how he got to the breaking point. Helearns of the religion that Alan created around Equus. His mother hadbrought him up to be very religious by reading to him from the bibleand Alan drew a connection between horses the Jesus. That was thefoundation for his religion. The picture of a horse had still replaceda picture of J... ...thersstories. The Chinkle Chankle in the horses mouth was a reaction tothe reminiscence of Trojan on the beach. All these things that Alan couldcomprehend made sense in Equus. Dysart admits this on page 81 I onlyknow that its the impr ession of his life. What else has he got? Many menhave less vital with their wives Equus is the core of Alans life,and Dysart knows that. Equus is that heart of Alans body. If theheart is removed the body cannot pass on to live.Dysart was wrong to remove Equus from Alan. He was wrong to kill thepassions that he envied so much. All this for what? Normalcy. Dysartdid not heal Alan he ravaged him. In a world devoid of passion, it isthe most important thing one can have. Every day people go about theirways passionless and now Alan joins them.Work CitedShaffer, Peter. Equus. 1973. New York Penguin Books, 1977.