Structure
Peter Schaffer’s play Equus is a non linear play. This means that it doesn’t start at the beginning and nothing else occurs in the order in which you would expect it to. If it was linear, we would start with Alan at a very young age, and finish with the monologue that Dysart opened the play with. We would see what Alan did at the time he did it, and we watch all of the action being relived when Alan tells Dysart what he has done. It is also non naturalistic, meaning that it doesn’t mirror what real happened. It does not start at the beginning. The acting however is naturalistic because it represents what is real, how it would really have occurred if where the play started was in fact the start of the story.
Equus is also episodic. This means that each scene is like a different episode, telling a different part of the story to the previous scenes. Each episodic scene either adds a new clue to the mystery of why Alan did what he did to the horses, or each scene creates a new mystery to be solved in a later scene. Each separate scene allows the story to move on.
The story is set out like a suspense thriller. The audience is intrigued to know why it happened so they keep watching until the truth is eventually revealed. But with each scene that goes by, another piece of the mystery is either solved or revealed to us, creating yet more suspense because there is more to be resolved. In the opening couple of scenes, we learn what it is that Alan has allegedly done, and we then see him singing instead of answering questions. This is the hook. We want to know what is wrong with this boy, why he did what he did, and why he is acting so strangely. So we continue to read the play, coming across so many questions, and to begin with, very few answers.
The Essay on Similarities of short stories, poetry and drama
Short stories, poetry and drama are different types of literature but they share many of the same elements. Some of the many elements shared are figures of speech, conflict, foreshadowing. One of the same elements short stories, poetry and drama have is setting. “The setting of a work of fiction establishes its historical, geographic, and physical context.” (pg. 251.) Setting can also ...
In this play, Dysart becomes like a detective. We know that he is a psychiatrist and not an actual detective, but the way his goes about his job makes him like a detective. He is determined to know the truth and uncover all the facts, and find out what really happened. He tries a lot of different techniques and tricks to help him get to the truth. But he is not the only detective. The audience also become like detectives because we too want to know what happened that night. As we learn new facts and understand previous events building up to the incident, we start to put the pieces of the puzzle together ourselves to see if we can work out what happened.
Form
Form is the use of different theatrical techniques used in a play. Most plays employ a variety of different forms, Equus is no exception. Here is a list of different theatrical forms, and for some of them I have given examples of where they have occurred in Equus.
Monologue – a speech spoken by just one character. Usually monologues are just a way of us hearing what the speaker is thinking. The speaker is usually speaking to their self and there is very rarely anyone else around to hear them. If there is anyone else on stage at the time, they will freeze or mime in the background. Dysart supplies us with several monologues in Equus, as he discusses his feelings about Alan and the way he feels his job is immoral. Shaffer uses monologues to get across the feelings of Dysart to the audience. He gradually falls apart as he repairs the psychological damage that has been disrupting Alan. Without the monologues, he cannot express his feelings because he is too proud to talk to anyone, even Hester.
Direct Audience Address – this is similar to a monologue, but the speaker is talking directly to the audience. Most of Dysart’s monologues are spoken as if he is telling the audience his feelings, for example, Scene 5, he is telling the audience about the dream that he had. Shaffer uses this in the same as he uses monologues, to get the actor’s emotions across to the audience.
The Term Paper on Audience Pinter Play Mick
The Caretaker by Pinter: A Play Can Be Confrontational, Challenging and Disturbing to the Values and Assumptions of An Audience. Discuss With closeReferenceThe Caretaker, written by the British playwright Harold Pinter in the late 1950's and early 1960's disrupts the audiences perceptions of existence and their understandings of it. The play deconstructs perceived notions and conceptions of ...
Mime – miming occurs when the actor is acting out an event etc without the use of words. This happens several times in Equus. When Alan is telling Dysart what has happened, he mimes the movements he made whilst he was doing it. Shaffer uses this mime to help create the feeling of un-naturalism. Un-naturalism is a fundamental element in Equus, because basically the play is about the psychological turmoil an imaginary god has inflicted upon a teenage boy.
Stylised Movement – dramatic, exaggerated movements that have been choreographed for a specific use. Peter Schaffer uses stylised movement when the actors are putting on their horse masks in the play; they use large, slow, exaggerated movements to put on the masks. The use of stylised movement in Equus helps to create the feeling of un-naturalism.
Abstract Scenes – scenes that seem a little weird and unrealistic. Abnormal occurrences are often shown in abstract scenes. The scene where Alan stabbed the horses in the eyes is an abstract scene because the horses’ eyes turned red. On stage, when the actor playing Alan stabs at the eyes of the horse-masks, red blinkers light up where the eyes would be. Shaffer used this to emphasise the brutality of what Alan did and to make it clearer to the audience what he did.
Parallel Monologues – two or more monologues spoken alongside each other. One person freezes whilst the other speaks their monologue. This technique is often used to show the thoughts of more than one person at one time. I could find no examples of this Equus.
Freeze-frames – everyone on stage freezes in the position they are in for a significant length of time. This technique is used to emphasise an important event or moment in the play.
