Protagonist of "Equus" by Peter Shaffer (in SlideShare)

Protagonist of "Equus" by Peter Shaffer from Amalia Farhati

Protagonist of "Equus" by Peter Shaffer

ABSTRACT

This paper looks at the work of Peter Shaffer entitled “Equus” first played in 1973. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the characterization of protagonist in the play, Alan Strang. Focusing on the characterization theory, the writer uses close reading as the method. In conclusion, the writer finds that there are some reasons behind the odd behaviour of Alan Strang who has a pathological religious fascination with horses. As the result, the writer can understand the hidden explanation behind Alan’s “abnormality”.

Keywords: characterization, protagonist, obsession, mental illness

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background of the Study

Drama is a literary work that is intended to be presented on a stage or─in contemporary times─ in a film by actors to an audience that has characters who are in some sort of conflict that involves some sort of action and a crisis with a resolution all occurring within a specified atmosphere. According to a dictionary of Merriam Webster, drama is a composition in verse or prose intended to portray life or character to tell a story usually involving conflicts and emotions through action and dialogue and typically designed for theatrical performance.

All of literary works including drama, has intrinsic elements such character, characterization, plot, setting, et cetera. In this paper, the writer will discuss about the characterization of protagonist in the play, Alan Strang, a 17-year old boy who has a fanatic-almost religious obsession with horses, which is written by Peter Shaffer entitled Equus. Equus is a play which is known as one of the most popular works of Peter Shaffer.

1.2. Purpose of the Study

The purposes of this study are:

1.       To understand the characterization of Alan Strang in the play.

2.       To appreciate the work of literature.

1.3.   Scope of the Study

The scope of this study is to analyze the characterization of Alan Strang in a drama entitled Equus by Peter Shaffer.

CHAPTER II

THE PLAYWRIGHT AND SUMMARY OF THE PLAY

2.1.   Biography of the Author

Playwright Peter Levin Shaffer was born in 1926 in Liverpool, North West England. His family moved to London in 1936 , and Peter spent three years as a “Bevin Boy” worked in a coal mine, before going to Cambridge University to study History. While at Cambridge he edited the student magazine Granta with his brother.

After graduation he lived in New York undertaking a variety of jobs, and writing The Woman in the Wardrobe (1951), a detective story under the pen-name Peter Antony, and followed by two more in the series, jointly written with his brother. His first play, The Salt Land, was broadcast on BBC television in 1954, but it was his first stage play, Five Finger Exercise (1958), directed by John Gielgud and winning an Evening Standard Award for Best Play of the Year, that established his reputation as a playwright. It was followed by plays such as Royal Hunt of the Sun (1964), about the conquest of Peru by the Spanish, and Black Comedy (1967), where characters feel their way around a pitch-black room.

In the 1970s Peter Shaffer wrote three major plays: Equus (1973); Shrivings (1974); and Amadeus (1980). Equus tells the disturbing story of a 17-year old stable boy, and Amadeus is the story of Mozart and court composer, Salieri. The Royal Hunt of the Sun was adapted for film in 1969, as was Equus in 1977. Shaffer wrote the screenplay of Amadeus when it was adapted for film in 1984. The film went on to win eight Academy (Oscar) awards, including on of Shaffer for Best Screenplay. Peter Shaffer died on 6 June 2016 at the age of 90.

2.2.   Summary of the Play

Dr. Martin Dysart, a dissatisfied and disaffected psychiatrist, is faced with a unique case when a young man, Alan Strang, is brought to him for treatment. Alan, a passionate and obsessive horse lover, has blinded six horses, to the horror and surprise of his family. In his efforts to coax Alan out of his shell and treat him, Dr. Dysart begins to unravel the complex psychological puzzle of Alan’s obsessions. Underneath Alan’s complacent manner, Dr. Dysart discovers a fervent, passionate, almost a religious power that has both the power to destroy Alan, and perhaps, to save the doctor himself.

CHAPTER III

LITERARY REVIEW

3.1.        Characterization

In term of characterization, Jones (1968:84) says that characterization is the depicting of clear imagines of person. He continuous saying about characterization as follows:

“There are two methods of characterization: The Dramatic and the Analytic. In the dramatic we form our opinion of the characters from what they do and say, from their environment and from what other characters think of them. In the analytic method, the author comments upon the characters explaining their motives, their appearances and their thoughts.”

3.2.        Protagonist

The main character (or protagonist) is not only at the center of the action, but also the chief object of the playwright’s (and the reader’s or audience’s) concern. Defining of the character of the protagonist (sometimes by comparison with a competitor, or antagonist often becomes the consuming interest of the play, and the action seems designed to illustrate, or clarify, or develop that character, or sometimes to make him or her complex, unfathomable, mysterious being.

Stephen Duncan in his book A Guide to Screenwriting Success: Writing for Film and Television (2006) says :

“The protagonist is at the center of the story. Typically makes the key decisions, and experiences the consequences of those decisions. The protagonist usually affects the main characters’ circumstances as well, as they are often the primary actor propelling the story forward. If a story contains a subplot, or is a narrative made up for several stories, then there may be a character who is interpreted as the protagonist of each subplot or individual story.”

3.3.        Obsession

According to a dictionary of Merriam Webster, obsession is a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling.

3.4.        Mental Illness

A mental illness, also called a mental disorder or psychiatric disorder, is a diagnosis by a mental health professional of a behavioral or mental pattern that may cause suffering or a poor ability to function in life. Many disorders have been described, with signs and symptoms that vary widely between specific disorders. (World Health Organization: October 2014)

The causes of mental disorders are often unclear. Theories may incorporate findings from a range of fields. Mental disorders are usually defined by a combination of how a person behaves, feels, perceives, or thinks. This may be associated with particular regions or functions of the brain, often in a social context. A mental disorder is one aspect of mental health. Cultural and religious beliefs, as well as social norms, should be taken into account when making a diagnosis. (American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5^th ed.)

CHAPTER IV

DISCUSSION

4.1.        Alan’s Mental Disorder

In the play, Alan Strang is represented has an obsessive fascination with horses, which considered by Alan as a representation of the God named Equus. Of course, his parents don’t think that Alan’s behavior is called “normal”, because there is no other human is society that has an obsessive towards animal, especially horses.

This over-obsessive behavior apparently affects Alan’s personality, including his understanding in particular object. He thinks that his body is Equus, the God of horses, and he sees it as a fascination, even in a sexual way.

"I couldn't take my eyes off them. Just to watch their skins. The way their necks twist, and sweat shines in the folds...“ (Act I, Scene 13)

The effect of Alan’s obsession towards his mental condition is also reflected when he was seduced by Jill in the horse stable. Jill was demanding to sleep with Alan and when they did, Alan feels something strange, he was scared of all of the horses in the stable which he thinks were staring at him while he and Jill doing something sin.

Feeling disturbed, he suddenly loses his control and blinded all of 6 horses that night. This also what makes Alan is sent to Dr. Dysart.

“Equus... Noble Equus... Faithful and True... God-slave... Though—God—Seest—NOTHING!“  (Act II, Scene 34)

4.2.        Physical Attraction

“I couldn’t take my eyes off them. Just to watch their skin. The way their necks twist, and sweat shines in the folds…” (Alan Strang -  Act II, scene 13)

This is the first time Alan describes his true attraction to horses. He focuses greatly on their physicality, describing them sexually. This shows that horses have more than just a spiritual appeal to Alan; he was initially attracted to them for the power in their bodies, and was appalled by the way human restricted this power and freedom through the chains and bits they used to control them.

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION

Equus is one of the greatest work of Peter Shaffer. It is the painful story of a conflicted young man who is suppressed by society’s dictation of what is acceptable. Alan’s struggle between the world he lived in and the world he was expected to be a part of illuminates Equus as whole by making one question how immoral he was. Although Alan’s dead was horrifying, his life was lived with such infatuation and zeal that every moment he was in the presence of a horse he felt alive. This aspect of his life is so powerful that it makes Dr. Dysart question himself and his own life. Due to the ever-present conflict in Alan’s life, Equus is a story of deep, emotional contradictions that become too overwhelming to overcome. From here, we can learn that not everything we called “normal” or “acceptable” is truly normal and acceptable in another life (of someone). We lived in a mediocre world that people do not have any passion, they think that it is good to be what society consider as “normal”. We also can understand that not every passion is worth fighting for, because some passion and obsessive can be destructive to our lives.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing. pp. 101–05.

Duncan, Stephen. 2006. A Guide to Screenwriting Success: Writing for Film and Television. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.

World Health Organization. 2017. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs396/en/. Web. (June 4, 2017)

World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/mental_health/management/en/. Web. (June 4, 2017)