Introduction & Overview of Equus by Peter Shaffer

Equus Introduction

Peter Shaffer was inspired to write Equus by the chance remark of a friend at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The friend recounted to Shaffer a news story about a British youth who blinded twenty-six horses in a stable, seemingly without cause. Shaffer never confirmed the event or discovered more of the details, but the story fascinated him, provoking him ' 'to interpret it in some entirely personal way." His dramatic goal, he wrote in a note to the play, was ' 'to create a mental world in which the deed could be made comprehensible."

Equus depicts the state of mind of Alan Strang, the imaginative, emotionally-troubled stableboy who serves as the play's protagonist. In relating his themes, Shaffer combines psychological realism with expressionistic theatrical techniques, employing such devices as masks, mime, and dance. The ongoing dialogue between Alan and Dr. Martin Dysart, the boy's analyst, illustrates Shaffer's theme...
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