Peter Shaffer’s play, Equus, tells a younger man’s story of religion and battle. By way of Alan, Shaffer explores man’s relationship with God and himself, the idea of ache and keenness, and finally, disgrace. Certainly, Alan blinded the horses as a result of he was shamed, not merely of his incapacity to carry out, however extra so as a result of Equus, by way of the horses’ eyes, witnessed how he gave in to temptation and betrayed his god. Alan is like all man who’s introduced as much as his dad and mom’ beliefs.
In his case, his mom was a religious Christian who learn to him verses from the Bible, the place he realized of God and Jesus.
His father, alternatively, was an atheist, and seeing Alan’s rising curiosity in faith tore the image of the crucifix Alan had and changed it with an image of a horse. It is a highly effective act of symbolism. The younger Alan was confused due to his dad and mom’ differing non secular beliefs.
He might sense that his father didn’t approve of the type of fervent faith his mom is practising, and however Alan has already been raised to like God. He might have simply turn out to be a nominal Christian; as an alternative he turned his intense beliefs in the direction of a substitute god, a god that his father doesn’t hate.
Therefore, Equus is born – his conception of a deity embodied in each horse. But, basically, his religion stays conventional orthodox Christian. Like God, Equus sees every part, like Jesus, Equus suffers for the sins of the world. Alan’s religious love in Equus culminates to his using the horse Nugget bare and barebacked, flagellating, using to the purpose of sexual/mystical/non secular climax, when he screams of his love and his need to be one with the horse. This picture illustrates Alan’s intense non secular beliefs that he desires to share the ache, the fervour or the struggling of Equus, and be one with him, akin to the extreme devotion of saints.
Within the subsequent a part of the play, Alan goes with Jill to a pornography theater the place they unintentionally run into his father. This leaves an impression to Alan that sexual need is frequent to all males. It may be stated that since he discovered his father there, he made the logical conclusion that it was one thing that his father doesn’t disapprove of. So when Jill suggests they’ve intercourse within the stables, he acquiesces. However the presence of the horses makes him nervous, and he’s unable to get an erection. He turns into pissed off, and he threatens away Jill. He’s extra than simply ashamed as a result of he was not capable of carry out.
He was ashamed as a result of he might really feel Equus’ eyes on him, and he is aware of that he has sinned. Alan felt responsible about his act, about his giving in to temptation, his try to do it with Jill, as a result of he perceived it as an act of betrayal to his god. He declared his devotion and need to be one with Equus, and but he discovered himself a sinner, a kind of who trigger Equus’s/Jesus’s ache and struggling that he professed to need to share intensely. Whereas earlier than he devoted himself physique and soul to Equus, now he has succumbed to his physique’s need and out of the blue he’s conscious of his nakedness.
His nakedness is metaphorical along with his nakedness on stage and the nakedness of Adam and Eve in Genesis. Actually he turns into conscious of his nakedness, when beforehand he rode the horse bare anyway. This consciousness brings forth disgrace, and since his depiction of god is inside attain within the type of the horses, he lashed out at them. Consumed by disgrace, he vents out his anger and places out the horses’ eyes, in order that he they, and Equus, by way of them, might now not see him bare, nor would they be capable to see his sins.
