Black comedy written by peter shaffer bench theatre. At the time radcliffe was starring in a revival of shaffers play equus. Writing for theatre arts in february, 1960, peter shaffer made a declaration of independence. Comparitive analysis of power and control in equus and gattaca. Amadeus and equus playwright peter shaffer is dead. Multiple links are listed since a different versions exist and b many scripts posted become unavailable over time. Most of the action takes place in this hospitalspecifically in psychiatrist martin dysart s office. Finally, the equus script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the richard burton horse movie based on the peter shaffer play. It depicts a psychiatrists fascination with a disturbed teenagers mythopoeic obsession with horses. 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. Sir peter levin shaffer was an english dramatist, author of numerous awardwinning plays, several of which have been filmed.
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. Pdf amadeus a play by peter shaffer download ebook for free. He initially worked at the new york public library 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.
Author peter shaffer sir peter shaffer b 1926 peter shaffer is the author of numerous awardwinning plays, several of which have been filmed. 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. Equus by peter shaffer is one of the six set texts for the new edexcel a level syllabus. Existential authenticity in character, setting, and. Equus play project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Afterwards, he says, they always embrace the animal digs his sweaty brow. Remembering the great amadeus and equus playwright peter. The exam requires students to explore how they would realise key extracts from the play. However the play is also concerned with the destructive nature of ignorance and naivety. Equus play script, free equus play script software downloads, page 3. Equus is a dramatic work written by english playwright peter shaffer in 1973.
Carson cant keep up with rodney dangerfields nonstop oneliners 1974 duration. Peter shaffer wanted to make elaborate theatre the guardian. 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. Read equus online by peter shaffer books free 30day trial. Equus act i, scenes 16 summary and analysis gradesaver. Equus by peter shaffer is one of the six set texts for the new edexcel a level the play. A psychiatrist, martin dysart, investigates the savage blinding of six horses with a metal spike in a stable in hampshire, england. Remembering the great amadeus and equus playwright. 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 world. 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. Peter shaffer 19262016 was inspired to write equus by the chance remark of.
The drama unfolds through the eyes of martin dysart, a psychiatrist and an amateur mythologist, who narrates the events of. British playwright peter shaffer, who wrote the plays equus and amadeus, has died in ireland. Sir peter shaffer, in full sir peter levin shaffer born may 15, 1926, london, eng. Pauls school in london and trinity college, cambridge. Its publication definitely brought an innovative spirit to the contemporary theatre. Amadeus is a 1984 period drama film directed by milo forman and written by peter shaffer. Black comedy a farce peter shaffer every play in the. This passage is all too true, both in peter shaffers amadeus and in life in general.
The best way for students to understand how they would play the. As psychiatrist martin dysart struggles to understand the motivation for alans brutality, he is. He set out to construct a fictional account of what might. 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. Jun 06, 2016 british playwright peter shaffer, who wrote the plays equus and amadeus, has died in ireland. 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. 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. Born to a jewish family in liverpool, he is also the twin brother of another playwright, anthony shaffer. 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.
The trouble is if you dont spend your life yourself, other people spend it for you. 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. 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. 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. Equus, drama in two acts by peter shaffer, produced and published in 1973. He wrote numerous awardwinning plays, of which several were adapted into films. 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. Shaffer was known for complex psychological portraits and for his love of music. Alans pose represents a contour of great tenderness.
In the middle of peter shaffers equus, the psychiatrist dysart discusses his vacation plans. Jun 06, 2016 remarkably, though, peter shaffer achieved the feat in three successive decades. Shaffer was born to a jewish family in liverpool, the son of reka nee fredman and jack shaffer, an estate agent. Peter shaffer poses with daniel radcliffe in january 2009 when the actor was honored with a portrait at sardis. Alan strang is a disturbed youth whose dangerous obsession with horses leads him to commit an unspeakable act of violence. The author expressed his reservations about the plays translation into print text, concerned to stress the. 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. Martin dysart, a psychiatrist, is confronted with alan strang, a boy who has blinded six horses in a. Shaffer wrote the screenplay for the film, which made stars out of tom hulce and f.
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 script transcript from the screenplay andor richard burton. Equus play script software free download equus play script. Theatre and drama, madeleine macmurraughkavanagh veconnect 20141202. 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. Equus play script software free download equus play. Equus script transcript from the screenplay andor richard. 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. 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. The royal hunt of the sun was adapted for film in 1969, as was equus in 1977. Remarkably, though, peter shaffer achieved the feat in three successive decades. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay andor viewings of equus.
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. Through a psychiatrists analysis of the events, shaffer creates a chilling portrait of how materialism and convenience have killed our capacity for worship. Equus by peter shaffer, 9780743287302, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook. 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. The script of the play was written subsequently to its production. Salieri is jealous not just of mozarts talent, but of the fact that god gave the talent to mozart spiteful, sniggering, conceited, infantine mozart. 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. Essays and criticism on peter shaffer critical essays. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of equus by peter shaffer. 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.
In a spotlight stands alan strang, a lean boy of seventeen, in sweater and jeans. His screenplay for equus 1977 was also nominated for a oscar. 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. The focus of the play is as much dysart the man as it is dysart the psychiatrist. English playwright sir peter shaffers international hit is a dazzling, complex, and thrilling look at passion, sex, religion, and sanity. Like christ, equus must first suffer in order to bring salvation. Dysart discovers a fervent, passionate, almost religious power that has both the power to destroy alan, and perhaps, to save the doctor himself. Equus, a play in two acts, is set in rokesby psychiatric hospital in southern england. Equus script taken from a transcript of the screenplay andor the richard burton horse movie based on the peter shaffer play. In the 1970s peter shaffer wrote three major plays. Equus tells the disturbing story of a 17year old stable boy, and amadeus is the story of mozart and court composer, salieri.
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