Why does Alan blind the horses in Equus? Alan, however, ended up in blinding horses as the result of his worship of this deity. I found some possible reasons for his blinding horses: his ambivalence to the god, Equus; or the embodiment of his super-ego; or the denial of adult society.
How does Alan blind the horses?
He sees you!" Alan screams, "God seest!" and then he says "No more. No more, Equus!" Alan then uses a steel spike to blind the six horses in the stable, whose eyes have "seen" his very soul.
How many horses does Alan blind?
Six HorsesWhy Did Alan Blind Six Horses in Equus?
What did Alan injure the horses with?
Hesther proceeds to tell Dysart that Alan Strang, age 17, blinded six horses with a hoof-pick one night in a stable where he worked on weekends.
Why is Dysart jealous of Alan?
To Hesther, Dysart admits that he is jealous of Alan despite the pain that the boy experiences, since this pain stems from an extreme passion that individuals are rarely able to attain. To Dysart, the pain is worth the passion; in his dull, passionless life, he would welcome this intensity.
How big was the first horse?
When Sifrhippus sandae, the earliest known horse, first appeared in the forests of North America more than 50 million years ago, it would not have been mistaken for a Clydesdale. It weighed in at around 12 pounds--and it was destined to get much smaller over the ensuing millennia.
What does Equus stand for?
horseThe word equus is Latin for "horse" and is cognate with the Greek ἵππος (hippos, "horse") and Mycenaean Greek i-qo /ikkʷos/, the earliest attested variant of the Greek word, written in Linear B syllabic script.
What happens at the end of Equus?
By the end of the novel, Dysart has fully adopted Alan's pain as his own, in the way that he has for so many children that came before. He wears the chain in his mouth that Alan loathes, the chain that represents confinement and a loss of freedom.
What are the themes in Equus?
Some of the major themes of Equus are modern society, normality and blame. The play is a strong critique on the commercialized and conformist society that we live in and its effect on the individuality of people.
Who is Hesther in Equus?
Alan StrangDora StrangMartin DysartFrank StrangJill MasonHarry DaltonEquus/Characters
What did Dysart give to Alan to help him express himself?
Dysart tells Hesther that he will give Alan a placebo pill to trick him into divulging everything; he thinks Alan is ready to “abreact”—to express the things he has been repressing, and thus begin to overcome his illness.
What is the significance of the father replacing the picture of Jesus with the picture of the horse?
Alan's choice to hang the new picture in exactly the same position as the old one reflects the shift of his belief in Jesus to a belief in horses' divinity. In the same way the picture was replaced by the horse, Alan replaced conventional religion with an unconventional belief in Equus, a horse.
What is significant in Dysart's dream?
As Dysart describes his dream's bloody work, he reveals that it makes him ill. This illness is the catalyst for the nightmare. Its analogue in Dysart's life is his growing disillusionment towards his profession. While psychology does not make Dysart literally sick, it is constantly growing ever more sickening to him.
Who is the blind horse owner?
Andrew GemmellAndrew Gemmell, the owner who has been blind since birth, got his cherished Festival winner 46 years after his first visit when Paisley Park carried his colours to win the Stayers' Hurdle.
How many horses does Gemmell own?
TwoTwo I own outright – Paisley Park and Dagueneau, named after a white wine I like – and I own a quarter of Trueshan.
Who owns Paisley Park horse?
Andrew GemmellPaisley Park is an Irish horse trained by Emma Lavelle in Wiltshire and owned by Andrew Gemmell and is very popular amongst racing fans.
What horse has one eye in the Derby?
Un OjoThe eye had to be removed and since then Un Ojo, which is Spanish for “an eye,” has been going through his racing career with a disadvantage. Yet still, Un Ojo is one of a few horses that qualified for the prestigious 2022 Kentucky Derby featuring the best in the world.
What scene does Alan open the door of the stable?
Scene 20. Alan opens the door of the stable and the chorus begins humming the Equus Noise. As... (full context)
Who is the owner of the stable where Alan worked?
Scene 12. Harry Dalton, the owner of the stable where Alan worked, visits Dysart’s office. He says that in his opinion, Alan should be in prison,... (full context)
What scene does Dysart thank Alan for the letter?
Scene 27. Dysart thanks Alan for the letter and offers to have a session with him now. This surprises Alan ,... (full context)
What does the colored dots on the equus mean?
The timeline below shows where the character Alan Strang appears in Equus. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. Act 1. ...as a listening station when he is not in the square; it also functions as Alan Strang’s hospital bed.
What scene does Alan step back in horror?
Scene 32. The chorus “makes a warning hum” as Alan steps back in horror. Jill pressures him to enter the stable. Alan asks if they... (full context)
What scene does Alan walk around the circle?
Scene 31. Alan walks around the circle and describes Frank’s face as he rode off on the bus... (full context)
What does Alan touch in Nugget?
Alan touches Nugget’s shoulder , then slowly feels the horse’s neck and back. He smells his palm,... (full context)
What horse did Alan blind in the play?
Throughout the play, one horse has captivated Alan in particular: Nugget. Nugget has been the physical manifestation of Equus for as long as Alan has known him. But that night in the stables, Alan blinds not only Nugget, but five other horses as well. This exemplifies his earlier statement that Equus lives in all horses, not only just one. Equus is in the spirits and souls of horses, and Alan had to blind as many of them as possible to prevent them from seeing his sins. But since Equus does live in all horses, Dysart is right: he will not go away that easily.
What does Dysart say to Alan?
He tries to soothe Alan, telling him that it is finally all over now and Equus will leave him alone. He promises to make Alan well and get rid of the nightmares. He tells Alan to sleep, and he does.
What does Dysart say after Alan falls asleep?
But after Alan has fallen asleep, Dysart says that he lied to him ; Equus will not really go away that easily. He says that if and when Equus does leave, he will take parts of Alan with him. From where she has been standing farther back onstage, Hesther reminds Dysart that Alan is in pain, and tells him once more to take it away. Dysart finally acquiesces, and says he can make the boy normal and acceptable to himself, but this would more likely make him a kind of ghost.
What does Alan do when he stops kissing Jill?
He picks up an invisible pick and begins to brandish it in her direction, demanding she leave. Jill just wants to talk, but finally she puts her clothes on and, frightened, runs out of the barn.
Why does Jill say they cannot go to her place?
She says they cannot go to her place because her mother does not like when she brings back boys. Alan keeps saying no, and says that "them" is the problem. Jill realizes that he has a problem with the horses seeing them, so she takes him into the barn adjacent to the stable and shuts the door.
What is Alan's mutilation of the horses?
Alan’s mutilation of the horses can also be understood as a self-mutilation —for his attempt to kill Equus is also an attempt to destroy the most important part of his life. Alan ultimately finds this task impossible and extremely painful, and wishes death on himself. Active Themes. Scene 35.
Why does Alan want to kill Equus?
Alan seeks to free himself from the religion he has created, presumably because he wants to escape this constant judgment and to be a normal person in society. But, of course, his attempt to do this is unsuccessful. Alan’s mutilation of the horses can also be understood as a self-mutilation—for his attempt to kill Equus is also an attempt to destroy the most important part of his life. Alan ultimately finds this task impossible and extremely painful, and wishes death on himself.
What does Dysart tell Hesther about Alan?
He believes that Alan actually wants a truth drug; he wants to be able to speak freely. Dysart tells Hesther that he will give Alan a placebo pill to trick him into divulging everything; he thinks Alan is ready to “abreact”—to express the things he has been repressing, and thus begin to overcome his illness. However, Dysart professes that he is ambivalent about this stage of the treatment. “Can you think of anything worse one can do to anybody than take away their worship?” he asks. Alan worships Equus; to cure him of his fantasy would be to take away the “core of his life.” Without it, Alan is just a boy with no education, no friends, and no real engagement with modern society.
Why does Alan take the truth pill?
The truth pill that Alan takes seems to encourage Dysart to open up about his own feelings, too. However, Dysart’s honesty could be another tactic he uses to get Alan to be more comfortable talking about himself. Indeed, their conversation about Dysart’s unhappiness as a psychiatrist leads Alan to say something he himself didn’t expect, which convinces him of the drug’s effectiveness. Dysart’s assertion that gods can die refers to the rise and fall of various religions and epochs; it simultaneously foreshadows the death of Equus that will occur once Alan is cured.
How does Dysart get Alan to trust him?
Dysart use s a combination of truth and deception to get Alan to trust him. He speaks to Alan with a candor that we have not previously seen. (As an aside, Equus was published in 1973, when belief in the effectiveness of the sort of psychiatry practiced by Dysart was stronger than it is today.
What does Alan's confession about Equus mean?
His distress when describing the experience to Dysart indicates his intense shame and frustration. Alan’s confession that Equus was “in the way” and that he wanted the “foam” from its neck implies that the horse remains his true sexual obsession. Active Themes.
What does Dysart say to Alan?
He tells Alan that the worst of it is over now, and that he will get well—no more nightmares, no more Equus. He soothes him until the boy falls asleep. Then he stands and moves to center stage. “I’m lying to you, Alan,” he says. “When Equus finally leaves—if he leaves at all—it will be with your intestines in his teeth.” Dysart says that if Alan knew any better, he would run away from the hospital to escape the treatment.
