Explain the relationship between Dysart and normality in Equus.

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Returning people to the ‘normal’ is somehow inappropriate in Martin Dysart’s mind. As a professional psychiatrist, he sees himself stealing and virtually destroying the passion and worship of his daily patients, who according to the society need mental help. This is his fundamental crisis, to see patient after patient returned to the world bleaker and paler than they originally were. Alan’s case somewhat brings out Dysart’s agony as it relates to his own low-life i.e. his job and his home life. Surprisingly, he sees life as something in which people should be able to perceive beyond the surface and materialism of the modern society which has caused the downfall of passion and worship. Dysart through Alan’s case clearly identifies what his own major problems are. He himself feels the need for going beyond the usual human knowledge and experience, into something perhaps more abstract and mystical. Dysart during the play finds his own admiration in Gods and spirits, something that he can turn to and follow in peace, rather than just being controlled by the ‘normalism’ of society which lacks spirituality, although he cannot reach it. Equus definitely expresses his conflict and need for the metaphysical and transcendence.

     Equus was a play that clearly questioned the old fashioned, traditional values of drama. The society of the 1960s was a more conservative one; it was polite and respected many social issues that were banned such as sex and religion. Basic conventions in society were upheld; many people went about their own business without questioning much. The plays themselves were written in what seemed to be ‘conventional theatrical styles.’ Theatrical sets were made to be more realistic; the plots carefully organised and planned out. The audience maintained well-bred drawing room language and concentrated well on the plays – no disrespect was shown. It was an era of ‘well made play’ as opposed to the one that followed.

     Traditional audiences tended to go and see drama at the theatres. Newer ones now watch it on television; the theatre plays little part in drama today. The styles and context of the plays are more iconoclastic and revolutionary; long established social mores were turned against. Theatres now had no shame in introducing explicit sexual content and obscene language. Equus as a post 1967 drama displays this quite often: Alan’s sexual fantasies with Equus and Dysart’s sad analysis of his personal life.

     Without a shadow of a doubt, Dysart feels that his job as a psychiatrist is damaging the individuality of so many. Right from the start of the play we can see his lifelessness for his work, ‘you see I’m lost….They’re worse than useless: they are in fact, subversive.’ He seems to question his job at a deep level, even though he is experienced and professional. Nothing seems to drive him any longer; his doubts have caused his boring and lifeless attitude towards what he does: ‘I can’t jump because the bit forbids it, and my own basic force – my horsepower, if you like – is too little,’ and ‘The doubts have been there for years, piling up steadily in this dreary place.’ Removing people from their own world seems to be the centre point at which Dysart bases his radical doubts and cynicism around, he is in some ways disillusioned and demotivated at what he does. The ‘extremity’ of Alan’s case has brought out Dysart’s agony – this is what shows his turmoil, he even surprises Hester in Act 1 scene 18: ‘You know what I mean by s normal smile in a child’s eyes, and that one isn’t –even if I can’t exactly define it. Don’t you.’ Dysart is desperate to escape from his role in society: a destroyer of passion. His desire to leave his job is strong in the play and this is understandable, why does he want to see people living almost as robots in a ‘plastic’ world where no one is unable to go beyond the ‘normal.’ During his discourses with Hester, he makes a number of references to where he would rather be, ‘turning the pages of art books on Ancient Greece’ and ‘absolutely unbrisk person I could take to Greece, and stand in front of certain shrines and sacred screams…’ Dysart himself wishes for a more spiritual life rather than being locked up in what he sees as a primitive civilisation.  It seems that he cannot escape from society because his compliance and education has made him unable to see a ‘whole new track of being (he) only suspect(s) is there.’ He feels ‘All reined up in old language and old assumptions’ and this is what stops him seeing what is beyond the society he is so used to. Dysart can see the defects of society; he believes there’s something else beyond it. He has his own passion but the intensity of it does not match Alan’s. He says ‘straining to jump clean – hoofed on to a whole new track of being I only suspect is there,’ showing his urge and enthusiasm to move away from this limited, encased world, but he cannot. For sure Dysart is reaching the point of existential crisis in his profession. He seems to fundamentally question his work, he feels let down he cannot answer them. His self confidence plummets, for example, ‘if I can never know that – then what am I doing here?’ This desire to leave this materialistic life is portrayed strongly in his dream about the children’s sacrifice. The idea of Dysart wearing a golden mask shows his high status and authority in society. In a way ‘officiating at some immensely important ritual sacrifice, on which depends the fate of the crops’ brings back the important concept of Dysart maintaining the balance of normality in society. The vision of Dysart opening up the child and ‘part(ing) the flaps, sever(ing) the inner tubes, yank(ing) them out and throw(ing) them hot and steaming on to the floor,’ clearly represents the thought of Dysart taking away worship, passion and spirit from his patients. The outcome of these sacrifices makes Dysart begin to feel ‘distinctly nauseous’ with it getting worse after each patient. As Dysart realises what he has fundamentally extracted, his mask begins to slip. The mask slipping clearly symbolises his fraudulence, it shows his cloak of authority slowly disappearing revealing his true emotion, ‘Of course I redouble my efforts to look professional – cutting and snipping for all I’m worth, mainly because I know that if those two assistants so much as glimpse my distress…I will be the next across the stone.’ This in a way is ironic, to see that a professional psychiatrist who would be expected to enjoy his work, is hiding his doubts behind a “mask”, which is supposed to show his true expertise.  

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     Alan is perceived as a purposeful individual in Dysart’s mind in terms of passion and worship. During the first stages of Alan’s treatment, Dysart is patient and willing to be respectful, for example he tolerates Alan’s singing of the TV ads. He doesn’t discriminate Alan in any way, he sees and admires the spirituality in Alan (something Dysart feels the need for too) even though according to the society he is supposed to be mentally ‘ill.’ Alan has created this fantasy world of elated devotion towards Equus by whatever he can associate with horses. (The poster, the horse ...

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This essay demonstrates thorough perceptive character analysis, well supported by textual references. However, it engages very little with the crux of the essay question: "the relationship between Dysart and normalcy", which only has any meaning here if placed in the context of the term as used in the play. An examination of the word "normalcy" as used by Shaffer in "Equus" is a vital part of a complete answer to this question. Much of the general character analysis could be cut to maintain reasonable essay length. Paragraph construction and sentence control are generally well managed. However, judicious editing to combine some repeated material could reduce the length usefully. 3 stars