Foreshadowing In Equus

What techniques does the author of a prescribed text use to explore the conflict between social responsibility and individual desire?

The conflict between social responsibility and individual desire is a common theme in literature. Peter Shaffer addresses this theme by using various techniques such as foreshadowing and symbolism in his play ‘Equus’. Shaffer uses foreshadowing to discreetly point out events that are yet to happen and uses symbolism to convey subtle messages in the play to elaborate on the ideas he wishes to portray.

The author suggests that the value of individual desire can be affected by society. The author creates the arguable question of whether one should be ‘normal’ towards society’s standards or to have the freedom

Alan is extremely passionate about worshipping Equus as God and feels a sense of spiritual freedom. That is shown in the passage below:

“Alan found it in Reeds Art Shop, and fell absolutely in love with it. He insisted on buying it with his pocket money, and hanging it at the foot of his bed where he could see it last thing at night”. (Act I, Scene 11, p

The horses can run freely yet they are constricted of full freedom because of their saddle, bridle and mouth bit. Shaffer creates a comparison between the horses and humans to convey the message that humans also have the right to freedom yet there are constrictions to the limit of our freedom.

Religion is a powerful symbol in ‘Equus’. Dora, Alan’s mother is christian and had given Alan a talk about religion when he was child. Dora mentions that she is the one that had a proper talk with Alan about puberty and sexuality. This brings up the idea that perhaps because of Dora’s religious talk nearing the beginning of Alan’s puberty, he may have intertwined the ideas of sexuality and religion together which created the qualities that he sees in Equus. Dysart is retelling this story yet is also a part of the story. This allows him to foreshadow the events that are yet to happen such as Alan’s twisted beliefs. The death of Equus and Alan becoming cured is foreshadowed in various scenes of the play. In Act II, Scene 27, page 86, Alan had said ‘Gods don’t die.’ Dysart insists and assures Alan that Gods do indeed die. This foreshadows the death of Equus. In Act I, Scene 21, Alan feeds Equus a sugar cube as its ‘Last Supper’ and proclaims ‘I want to be in you! I want to BE you forever and ever. Equus, I love you!’ This showed that Alan saw Equus as both a God and a romantic partner. The way he described this as ‘The