論彼得‧薛佛《戀馬狂》中焦慮之意義 - 政大學術集成

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(1)國立政治大學英國語文學系碩士論文. 指導教授：羅狼仁先生 Advisor: Dr. Brian David Phillips. 立. 政治大. 論彼得‧薛佛《戀馬狂》中焦慮之意義. ‧ 國. 學. On the Meaning of Anxiety in Peter Shaffer’s Equus. ‧. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. 研究生：曾志峰撰 Name: Brian Chih-Feng Tseng 中華民國 105 年 6 月 April 2016.

(2) 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v.

(3) On the Meaning on Anxiety in Peter Shaffer’s Equus. A Master Thesis Presented to Department of Englsih. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. National Chengchi University. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts. by Brian Chih-Feng Tseng June 2016.

(4) 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v.

(5) Acknowledgement My gratitude goes to the following professors: my advisor Brian David Phillips, Jiang Tsui-fen, Ueng Sue-han, Pat Ssutu, Lin Chih-hsin, and Chao Shun-liang. They helped improved my academic performance at NCCU and gave me emotional support when I felt weak. They are all my mentors. My gratitude then goes to Annika Vosseler, Richard Bland and Rieder Achim, who dedicated their time to read my thesis out of friendly love and provide invaluable suggestions. I am also grateful for my supportive friends throughout my years in Taipei. 政治大 the Buddhist, Christian and Taoist groups. I have learned to love more generally from you. 立 for this study: Henry Wu, Roger Shao, Chin Wen-chuan, Jasper Liao, and friends I met in. ‧ 國. 學. You are all my family.. Finally, I want to dedicate this thesis to my parents, whose lives have inspired me to. ‧. complete this study; to my sisters, who always argue with but support me to be who I am;. sit. y. Nat. to my aunties, who have been my senior, sisterly friends; to Thomas Oh, my significant. io. al. n. unconditional love.. er. other, who has taught me that to love is a beautiful mission for us. Thank you all, for your. Ch. engchi. iii. i n U. v.

(6) 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. iv. i n U. v.

(7) Table of Contents. Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………iii Chinese Abstract…………………………………………………………………………vii English Abstract…………………………………………………………………………..ix Chapter 1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………….1 1.1 Plot Summary………………………………………………………………...3. 政治大 1.3 Peter Shaffer: 立 A Humanistic Playwright……………………………………..7. 1.2 Literature Review…………………………………………………………….4. ‧ 國. 學. 1.4 A New Perspective: Reading Equus through Rollo May………………..….10 1.5 Chapter Organization…………………………………………………...…..13. ‧. Chapter 2 Anxiety, Signs and Consequence…………………………………….………..17. sit. y. Nat. 2.1 Mapping Anxiety……………………………………………………………18. n. al. er. io. 2.2 Man of Anxiety I: The Ignorant Man……………………………………….21. i n U. v. 2.2.1 Anxiety of the Public………………………………………………….21. Ch. engchi. 2.2.2 Anxiety within the Household………………………………………...24 2.2.2.1 A Father: Frank Strang..……………………………………….25 2.2.2.2 A Mother: Dora Strang………………………………………...29 2.3 Man of Anxiety II: The Waking Man……………………………………….34 2.3.1 Alan Strang……………………………………………………………34 2.3.2 Martin Dysart…………………………………………………………45 Chapter 3 Transforming Anxiety I: Emergence of the Ideal Self………………….……..49 3.1 Mapping Canivalesque……………………………………………………...50 3.2 Narrative Structure as a Circle of Spiritual Renewal……………………….52 v.

(8) 3.3 The Presence of the Ideal Self………………………………………………57 3.3.1 Alan Strang……………………………………………………………58 3.3.2 Martin Dysart…………………………………………………………65 Chapter 4 Transforming Anxiety II: Integration of the Broken Self……………………..69 4.1 Mapping Uncertainty………………………………………………………..69 4.1.1 Alan Strang……………………………………………………………70 4.1.2 Martin Dysart…………………………………………………………75 Chapter 5 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….83. 政治大. Works Cited………………………………………………………………………………89. 立. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. vi. i n U. v.

(9) 國立政治大學英國語文學系碩士班碩士論文題要. 論文名稱：論彼得‧薛佛《戀馬狂》中焦慮之意義指導教授：羅狼仁教授研究生：曾志峰. 立. 論文提要內容：. 政治大. ‧ 國. 學. 本論文以存在主義心理學來檢視彼得薛佛《戀馬狂》中兩位主角，病人艾倫‧. ‧. 斯壯與心理醫生馬汀‧戴瑟的內在衝突。本劇所描繪的社會建構了許多教條式的價. Nat. io. sit. y. 值並將其灌輸給人們，而這些內化了的社會價值致使人們與內在自我產生衝突，做. er. 出違背自己本性的行為並表現出行為與信念上之差異。本劇暗示了，盲目地接受社. al. n. v i n Ch 會價值將使人面臨「焦慮」以及可能隨之而來的認同危機。許多人通常認為「焦 engchi U. 慮」對人類之健全有負面影響，然而，「焦慮」在彼得‧薛佛的《戀馬狂》中是個人掙扎實現其理想自我的隱喻。雖然兩位主角內化社會價值並因此有了不好的自我形象，本論文認為，他們所經歷的治療過程協助他們處理焦慮，檢視自身信念並且獲得心靈成長，原諒他者，接受自己。. 關鍵字：《戀馬狂》、焦慮、存在主義心理學、內在衝突、社會價值、認同危機、理想自我、心靈成長 vii.

(10) 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. viii. i n U. v.

(11) Abstract The present thesis examines the inner conflict of the protagonists in Peter Shaffer’s Equus, the patient Alan Strang and the psychiatrist Martin Dysart, from the perspective of existential psychology. The play depicts a society that constructs many dogmatic values and instils them within people for the sustainability of the community, and these internalized social values often lead people to come into conflict with their own inner. 政治大. self, acting against their nature and displaying a discrepancy between actions and beliefs.. 立. The play implies that accepting social values blindly will result in man’s “anxiety” and. ‧ 國. 學. identity crisis that may come afterwards. “Anxiety” is normally considered by many to influence man’s well-being in a negative way; however, “anxiety” for Shaffer in this play. ‧. is a metaphor of an individual’s struggle to fulfill the ideal self. Although Alan and Dysart. y. Nat. io. sit. internalize social values and thus have a poor self-image, I argue that the therapy they go. n. al. er. through help them cope with anxiety, examining their own beliefs and achieving spiritual. i n U. v. growth through showing self-acceptance and forgiveness of others.. Ch. engchi. Keywords: Equus, anxiety, existential psychology, inner conflict, social value, identity crisis, ideal self, spiritual growth. ix.

(12) 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. x. i n U. v.

(13) Chapter 1 Introduction The present thesis examines the inner conflict1 of the protagonists in Peter Shaffer’s Equus, Alan Strang and Martin Dysart, from the perspective of existential psychology.2 Equus is a well-known play due to its in-depth illustration of its protagonists’ mental world, which ends with the revelation of how traumatized its two protagonists have. 政治大. become under the influence of society. Premiered in 1973 and with a movie released on. 立. the base of it in 1977, the play challenges the then contemporary society by presenting. ‧ 國. 學. various issues such as sex, science, religion, core family and so forth. Worldwide attention on the play was renewed after high profile stage productions in 2007 and. ‧. continues to the present day. The play depicts a society that constructs dogmatic values. y. Nat. sit. and instils them within people for the sustainability of the community, and these. n. al. er. io. internalized social values often lead individuals to come into conflict with their inner. i n U. v. self,3 acting against their nature and displaying a discrepancy between actions and beliefs.. Ch. engchi. In the discussion of this thesis, the play also implies that accepting social values blindly will result in man’s “anxiety”4 and identity crisis5 that may come afterwards. 1. An individual may struggle with multiple inner conflicts, but in my thesis I use the phrase in singular form specifically to indicate the two protagonists’ situation of coming into constant confrontation with their own inner self shown in the therapy. 2 Gary R. Vandenbos explains that existential psychology is “a general approach to psychological theory and practice that derives from EXISTENTIALISM. It emphasizes the subjective meaning of human experience, the uniqueness of the individual, and personal responsibility reflected in choice” (238). 3 Collins Online Dictionary defines “inner self” as “a person’s true or internal mind, soul or nature.” Please see the following web link: <http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/inner-self＞. In my thesis, I suggest that there are two aspects to look at an individual’s sense of self. Every person plays his/her roles in society and present him/herself before other people in a certain way in order to survive and function in the communities they belong to. However, the functioning of society requires every individual to suppress his/her emotions and desires, the qualities belonging to one’s “inner self.” 4 “Anxiety” can be seen as either a negative or a positive experience to people’s well-being depends on the angle from which people look at it. It not only suggests “an uncomfortable feeling in the mind usually caused by the fear of expectation that something bad will happen” but also indicates “a feeling of worried 1.

(14) Critics in the past often focused on analyzing whether the protagonists’ characterization indicates a metaphysical conflict or not, or how their personality is tragically shaped by certain values. This thesis seeks to interpret the play in a new light. It also goes beyond the fixated conclusion offered by critics in the past. The thesis suggests that Alan and Dysart6 choose to cope with “anxiety” through the help of the therapy and are rewarded by this coping experience. The influence of “anxiety” is normally considered by many as negative; however, “anxiety” for Shaffer in this play is a metaphor of an individual’s struggle to fulfill his/her own ideal self.7 The thesis first argues that the. 政治大 crisis. The thesis further aims to prove that both Alan and Dysart examine their own 立. therapy Alan and Dysart go through offers them an opportunity to see their own identity. ‧ 國. 學. beliefs and fulfill their own ideal self at the end of the therapy. Their process of self-examination and expression embodies a journey of achieving spiritual growth.. ‧ er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. v. n. eagerness” (Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture 49). Except signifying one’s fear for bad future, “anxiety” can also be understood as one’s desire to achieve something, which is shown in the general definition of it given above. 5 Definitions of this phrase from different sources can help clarify the protagonists’ own situation illustrated in Equus. Oxford Online Dictionary explains that “identity crisis” is “a period of uncertainty and confusion in which a person’s sense of identity becomes insecure, typically due to a change in their expected aims or role in society.” The New American Webster Handy College Dictionary defines “identity crisis” as “a psychological crisis caused by confusion about ones’ goals and role in society” (364); Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture describes a man with “identity crisis” will lack “self-confidence and had no particular purpose in life” (693). In Equus, Alan Strang can be said to have been living with identity crisis since he recalls his ambivalent affection for horses in the therapy, and Martin Dysart shows his low “self-confidence” and his sense of lacking a “purpose in life” at the beginning of the play. Given this fact, Alan and Dysart display their own identity crisis—these will be mentioned in “Plot Summary.” 6 Throughout this paper, I will refer to them as in “Alan” and “Dysart” as the way they are mentioned in the play’s script. 7 Dictionary of Sport and Exercise Science and Medicine by Churchill Livingstone defines “ideal self” as “a person’s conception of how they would likely to be.” Please see the following web link: <http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/ideal+self>. This phrase can also be understood as in “inner self,” which is previously mentioned in footnote number two, but I use them to describe different things. While my usage of the term “inner” intends to suggest the protagonists’ symbolical conflict with their own counterpart, meaning “self-image,” which is constructed by socials values and will be mentioned in footnote fifteen, I use the phrase “ideal self” to refer to the protagonists’ own individuality, the characteristics that make them different from other characters in the play. 2. Ch. engchi. i n U.

(15) 1.1 Plot Summary The story takes place in a hospital, and its scene is staged as a “dissecting theater.”8 Martin Dysart, a depressed psychiatrist, narrates his therapeutic experience with a teenager patient, Alan Strang, who is sent to the hospital for having blinded six horses. The details being recalled will help Dysart himself reexamine the value of his life and lead him to discover the reason behind Alan’s enigmatic lunacy. To begin with, Alan Strang’s emotional paradox with horses is uncovered in the therapy. He grows up listening to stories from his mother, among which the biblical one. 政治大 can talk like a human caught his childhood imagination. Consequently, he has grown 立. about Jesus Christ’s suffering and another one about a proud horse named “Prince” which. ‧ 國. 學. increasingly attached to the idea of “animals talking” (Equus 30). However, when Alan was enjoying riding a horse the first time in his childhood, his father pulled him off by. ‧. force. From then on, Alan develops a twisted emotion for horses, which is manifested in. sit. y. Nat. the presence of a horse in his imagination, “Equus,” who suffers for “sins of the world”. io. al. er. (Equus 66). Besides his parents, the customers he met at work also ignored his feelings.. v i n nights, but he has lied initially inCthe he never rode a horse before. However, h therapy e n gthat chi U n. Out of loneliness, he is used to ride a horse named Nugget from the stable he works at in. in a therapy session Alan is hypnotized by the psychiatrist and reveals the fact that he sees “Equus” more as a simple friend. “Equus,” taking the shape of a man’s body and of a horse’s head, becomes his companion and his God. However, the social mentality in the play is unsympathetic. Hesther Salomon, a 8. This phrase is used by Peter Shaffer in describing the setting of the play (Equus 13). In this footnote I quote Christopher Innces’s review of the play to explain the structure of the stage, since I could not locate any written sources with the definition of “dissecting theatre.” Innces comments, “Technically [the play] borrows eclectically from the avant garde—a bare stage, part of the audience seated behind the acting area to intensify the response by allowing spectators to observe the reactions of others, and actor seated among the audience, sound effects from speakers placed throughout the auditorium, dream sequences and a scenic structure that cuts across the logic of time and cause and effect following the irrational association of the subconscious, ritual chanting, stylized masks and mythic archetypes” (238). Having a basic understanding of the play’s setting as a “dissecting theatre” is important as it symbolically illustrates the protagonists’ confrontation with their own inner self. 3.

(16) friend of Dysart and also the magistrate who takes Alan to the hospital, remarks that most of her colleagues would send Alan to prison instead of providing help. She believes that other psychiatrists working with Dysart will feel the same way. For this reason, Dysart visits the Strang family. He learns that Dora and Frank Strang have been living with contradictory values and have instilled them within their son. Dora, for example, believes in the notion of a sacred marriage illustrated in the Bible and indicates that she has “married beneath her” (Equus 33). Frank, on the other hand, tends to speak ill of his wife and to interfere his son’s privacy. Neither of them have ever seemed to understand their. 政治大 Consequently, the therapy for Alan prompts Dysart to examine the values of his own 立. son or clarify to each other their marital problems.. ‧ 國. 學. life. Having mistreated his wife for his own sterility, Dysart has been ashamed of himself. He connects his profession to his unproductive private life, regarding the therapeutic. ‧. methods he conducts on the patients immoral. As a result, Dysart suffers from a chronical. sit. y. Nat. sense of guilt, which is triggered by the coming of Alan and has been manifested by his. io. er. nightmare, in which he becomes a pagan priest carving up children bodies (Equus 24).. al. v i n Cwith acquired from society. The play ends the blinding scene and the scene h eAlan n grecalling chi U n. Disturbed by this nightmare, throughout the play Dysart examines the values he has. where he breaks down, and Dysart standing in the symbolical, moral darkness. 1.2 Literature Review Although Equus was an immediate hit when it was first staged in 1973, it has always been a controversial play and it keeps receiving a variety of reviews. Some scholars believe that Peter Shaffer’s plotting in the play is problematic. For instance, Neil Timm asserts, “I believe that the Oedipus complex is a psychiatric cliché and is meant to be seen as such. Freudian analysis alone, no matter how extensively it is developed in the play, is meant to be seen as inadequate” (128). Also, Barry B. Witham points out in his review 4.

(17) “The Anger in Equus” that “the play’s “theatrical fireworks cannot mask its muddled logic and tired philosophy.” Albert E. Kalson, on the other hand, argues that the plot of the play seems to guide its two protagonists to implausible “[final] confrontation of doctor and patient” (514). Allen Ellenzweig criticizes the “Freudian grounding” of the play. He concludes that “one can’t help wonder if the playwright lacked the courage to [let Alan] travel that road [of sexual intimacy].” These critics accuse Shaffer of having borrowed the idea of Oedipus complex directly from Sigmund Freud, which makes the playwright and the play itself seem uncreative.. 政治大 modern psychology in Equus. They usually approach an analysis by focusing on the 立. Despite many negative reviews, other critics praise Peter Shaffer’s treatment of. ‧ 國. 學. play’s theatricality. Christoper G. Busiel states, “by staging the past rather than revealing it through exposition (usually being a process of verbalization), Shaffer takes great. ‧. advantage of the visual power of the theatre.” What Busiel admires in the play is the. sit. y. Nat. “novelty” of Shaffer’s combining psychology with the play’s unique stage design. He. io. er. remarks that “Shaffer utilizes theatrical techniques to enact powerfully the psychological. al. and religious dimensions of the play.” In Peter Shaffer: Theatre and Drama, M.K. n. v i n C hcredits to the stageUdesign of Equus. He states that MacMurraugh-Kavanagh also gives engchi. “the suggestion of a boxing-ring [setting] proves an apt arena for the ‘vigorous contest for control of modern man’s soul, while the design also recalls [...] the brutalities of ancient ritual and the brutalities of modern psychiatric practice” (111). In this regard, Kavanagh’s opinion not only responds to the early critics’ comment of the play’s unrealistic psychological grounding but also helps to justify Shaffer’s creative adaptation of modern psychology in the play. The metaphysical dimension of the play has caught some reviewers’ attention. Russel Vandenbrouke remarks that Equus is “a modern myth [which] delicately probe[s] a 5.

(18) psyche formed by a mingling of modern forces and influences, yet reaching beyond to the concerns and problems of men of all ages” (129). He further suggests that the play is a “playground for the imagination” and a “ritual” for Shaffer to “fathom and capture basic truth of man and nature” (130). Vandenbrouke concludes, “[Equus] is a finely wrought statement, redolent with meaning, certain to be performed and remembered for generations to come” (133). The theme of human nature illustrated in the play also draws Neil Timm’s attention. Timm juxtaposes Oedipus and Alan Strang, crediting Alan as a tragic hero who is “more than a victim of circumstance” (129). On the other hand,. 政治大 […are] at the mercy of greater forces in Shaffer’s world” (33). Fran Heller 立. Richard H. Palmer states that the thematic concern between “disillusioned character[s] 9. remarks that. ‧ 國. 學. the characters in Equus are “dull[ed] in a material world.” Although the world depicted in the play seems hopeless, Heller’s remark that “the story of Equus reverberates more. ‧. loudly than ever” explains the play’s unceasing charm to audience and readers.. sit. y. Nat. Another group of scholars have focused on the play’s theme of symbolic opposition.. io. er. For instance, in his thesis “Peter Shaffer’s Dramatic Vision of the Failure of Society,” Lai. al. Fu Shan analyzes the protagonists’ characterization in terms of the opposition between. n. v i n C hprotagonists’ ideasUabout sex and religion, and society and the individual. He analyses engchi. concludes that both Alan and Dysart are “victims” (86) and are “defined by society” (87). Chiang Han Yang also explores the same theme of the play in his thesis “Conflicts and Confrontations between Two Cultures.” Chiang maintains that “[the] two main heroes respectively represent the loss, no matter religious or marital, spiritual or corporal, of modern men” (2). In short, far from presenting merely the protagonists’ damaged well-being, the play also deals with the idea of opposition between society and the individuals.. 9. Please see note 9. 6.

(19) Psychoanalytic theories are also favored by scholars who wish to reconstruct the protagonists’ personality in Equus. Chang Shu Mei uses Carl Jung’s theory of psychological types and comments, “owing to the influence of his culture, man cannot obtain all-sided harmonious development of personality in the histories of societies” (9). In other words, Chang implies the protagonists are victims of society. Su Shao Wen insightfully, on the other hand, applies Lacanian Gaze to analyze the relationship between Alan and the horse, and the relationship between Alan and Dysart. In her detailed analysis, Su considers that “Equus” is only a narcissistic symbol of Alan, saying that “[Alan] loves. 政治大 own self” (144). Similarly, she also sees Dysart as unable to get rid of his own spiritual 立. his own reflection, Equus, an extension of himself. Equus is the mirror reflection of his. ‧ 國. 學. loss in treating Alan. Su sees Dysart as “caught up in the process of analysis that he is no longer capable of making choices in life” (156). Likewise, Alan is also presented in the. ‧. play dealing with spiritual dilemma. Applying Lacanian Unconscious, Pai Chih Hsin in. sit. y. Nat. his study argues that Alan has been displaying to construct his own subjectivity. The. io. er. conclusion of Pai’s study points out that the symbolic chain on Alan’s mouth is, in fact, a. al. manipulating power of language which “controls [his] behaviors” and “speaks through. n. v i n [him] to express its opinions of C [his] U Scholars’ various interpretations h unconscious” e n g c h i(102). have proved the timeless charm of the play. 1.3 Peter Shaffer: A Humanistic Playwright Great Britain in the Seventies, during which Peter Shaffer’s Equus was completed, can be understood as a time of great social change. C. J Gianakaris perceives the general public at this time as caught in a “basic psychic tension” (Peter Shaffer 105). An explanation for such a vision is provided by Laurel Forster and Sue Harper in their British Culture and Society in the 1970s: The Lost Decade. Forster and Harper wrote:. 7.

(20) The 1970s in Britain was a decade of immense complexity […] There were numerous contradictions which were, socially and politically speaking, born out of concerns about gender, race, class, living conditions and the workplace. It was a decade of great early optimism, which slid into a general sense of decline. (3) In other words, a sense of nostalgia spreads wide in the society since “[people’s] intense feelings were produced by the radical social changes, and such social and emotional trauma is often unsettling to reproduce or recall” (Foster and Harper 2).. 政治大 bluntly states, “[t]here is a very passionate subject here to me—the way we are pissing on 立 As an artist, Peter Shaffer concerns about people in his time. In an interview he. ‧ 國. 學. our own culture. We are seeking ways to commit suicide” (A Casebook 30). By displaying his concern about his contemporary society, Shaffer advises people to develop spiritual. ‧. self-awareness. He explains, “[c]ountries go mad as well as people […it] would be. sit. y. Nat. disastrous. We live in a tragic world, because a resounding right course like that is. io. er. purchased by the surrender of things that are very valuable: the individuality of a country”. al. (A Casebook 33). Shaffer believes that “[t]here is nothing unique in acknowledging. n. v i n accomplishment by persons of otherCraces [because we] all live by things h eorncultures gchi U achieved by other cultures, at other times” (A Casebook 31). Writing plays to talk about “the taboos of the world” (A Casebook 30), according to Shaffer himself, is his way to achieve the goal of peace. In his idea, modern society has influenced human existence in a reductive way. He wishes that the British people, collectively represented by the nation itself, could respect the value of other people’s individuality and recognize the existence of people from other places. Peter Shaffer’s life is an exemplar of his philosophical character. C. J. Gianakaris points out, “the protagonists of The Royal Hunt of the Sun, Equus, and Amadeus are all 8.

(21) jealous of rivals whose names begin with the letter ‘A’…’A’ as in Anthony, Peter Shaffer’s twin” (A Casebook 153; emphasis mine). Similarly, Jules Glenn comments on Shaffer’s relationship with his brother Anthony Shaffer as “fraught with anxiety” (A Casebook 153; emphasis mine). Combating with his “twin” brother is a metaphor of fighting against his mirror self, a separate “rival” whose existence relies on the constant struggle between two sides. Shaffer channels such a metaphysical aspect of his life through the portrayals of the two protagonists in Equus, claiming that There is in me a continuous tension between what I suppose I could loosely. 政治大 Dysart and Alan Strang…the inescapable fact that to me a life without a sense 立 call the Apollonian and the Dionysian sides of interpreting life, between say,. ‧ 國. 學. of the divine is perfectly meaningless. (qtd. in Walls 314; emphasis mine) Inner conflict is regarded by Shaffer as the drive for self-improvement. By making. ‧. analogy between Apollo and Dionysus Shaffer suggests that he and the protagonists are. sit. y. Nat. both searching for the meaning of life through exploring their own inner conflict. Such. io. er. inner conflict has been represented by something his inner divinity, which is also a theme. al. v i n Ch Gianakaris to be “[a] realist, a philosopher, i U all at the same time (A e n gandcahsatirist” n. illustrated in Equus. Of all his passion to cope with inner conflict, Shaffer is regarded by. Casebook 3). Gianakaris comments that “[r]egular theatergoers will recognize elements of all these types in Shaffer” (A Casebook 3). Michael Hinden, alternatively, points out the metaphysical aspect in Shaffer’s play: “With Shaffer, the ancient question is posed like this: Was I (emphasis original) born one or two, different or same? What are the parameters of self, and what does it mean to be separate?” (qtd. in A Casebook 159). This theme of searching for an intact sense of self is at the core of the play Equus, and it will be the topic of discussion in this thesis.. 9.

(22) 1.4 A New Perspective: Reading Equus through Rollo May In Equus, Martin Dysart and Alan Strang together demonstrate an inspiring courage to explore and cope with inner conflicts. However, their labor is left undiscussed or has been taken as unimportant in many criticisms. Scholars using psychoanalytic theories10 tend to consider Alan and Dysart as victims of society due to the play’s final scene where Alan recalls and performs the blinding. For instance, Rebecca Gavrila claims that the “blinding [scene…] leaves us nowhere to go” (675). Some other critics have noticed the theme of opposition and have tried to analyze the play from a philosophical view. For. 政治大 modern men” (2). Therefore, I intend to write this thesis to respond to Peter Shaffer’s 立. example, Chiang Han Yan has summarized that the play only “represent[s] the loss […] of. ‧ 國. comprehensible” (Equus 9; emphasis mine).. 學. wish in writing the play “to create a mental world in which the deed could be made. ‧. For two aspects Rollo May’s existential psychology is appropriate to be used in. sit. y. Nat. analyzing Equus. First, May’s belief that inner “tension” signifies spiritual renewal. io. al. er. coincides with Peter Shaffer’s. May points out, “Apollonianism stands for cultures. v i n C hadds, “Greek vasesUshow Apollo, presumably at the circle” (The Cry of Myth 218). May engchi n. characterized by reason, harmony, balance, and justice. The symbol for Apollonianism is. Delphi, grasping Dionysus’ hand, […and] the Delphi oracle played by Dionysus was no less important than Apollos’s”11 (The Courage to Create 105). May explains that existentialism is “an attitude which accepts man as always becoming, which means potentially in crisis, [and] this does not mean it will be despairing” (The Discovery of Being 57). May further notes that the term “existence” means to “portray the human being not as a collection of static substances or mechanism or patterns but rather as emerging and becoming” (The Discovery of Being 50; emphasis original). Understanding the oracle Please see “Literature Review” in this chapter. An idea from the Greek writer Plutarch (Latin name Plutarchus). May quotes Plutarch from the translated version of Robert Flacelière’s work Greek Oracles (49) published in 1965. 10 10 11.

(23) requires an individual to interpret his/her own divinity, to be introspective—this is the “inescapable fact” for Shaffer to obtain the meaning of life. Second, Rollo May’s existential psychology, combining philosophy and psychology, provides a synthesized theoretical framework to analyze the play. May took the advantage of his time staying in hospital for treating tuberculosis in his forties to read through Soren Kierkegaard’s The Concept of Dread and the works by Sigmund Freud. Illness has refined his soul. After he was fully recovered, May went on to work on his doctoral degree in clinical psychology and combined the ideas of Freud12 and Kierkegaard13 into his. 政治大 psychology is more than an achievement in his academic life. 立. doctoral thesis, The Meaning of Anxiety.14 Serving as a frame of interpretation, May’s 15. May’s psychology is the. ‧ 國. 學. result of a contemplation in sickness. May’s theory is formed by his academic learning and his thoughts about life, coalescing psychology and philosophy befittingly. It seems as. ‧. if May’s following words were responding to Shaffer’s observation about the “tragic”. sit. y. Nat. dimension of modern people’s mental world: he suggests that “the fact that existential. io. al. er. psychotherapy places emphasis on these tragic aspects of life does not at all imply it is. v i n C h of Being 34). U experience psychically” (The Discovery e n g c h i May continues to praise the tragic n. pessimistic. Quite the contrary, the confronting of genuine tragedy is a highly cathartic. As Rollo May suggests, Sigmund Freud’s theory of anxiety focuses on different key concepts throughout his own lifetime, such as “anxiety as repressed libido,” “anxiety as the cause of repressions,” and the “topology of the psyche…[meaning] his division of the personality into superego, ego, and id” (The Meaning of Anxiety 112-127). 13 Rollo May writes, “Kierkegaard defines freedom as possibility (emphasis original)…[He] sees man as the creature who is continually beckoned by possibility, who conceives of possibility, visualize it, and by creative activity carries it into actuality” (The Meaning of Anxiety 32). In other words, man has the freedom to choose whether and how to become what he or she likes to be, and anxiety rises when and individual is presented before such “possibilities,” because at this moment a person will face inner conflict of which to choose. 14 Yang Shao Gang (楊韶剛) in his Xun Zhao Cun Zai De Zhen Di (尋找存在的真諦) presents a well-researched study about Rollo May’s works and points out May’s intention to combine these two. Here is the original text in Chinese: “羅洛梅指出，這兩種研究觀點對於解釋人類焦慮的現狀都是明顯必要的，因此想做「整合」…羅洛梅堅持相信，齊克果對焦慮所作的現象學描述和哲學闡述，可以為佛洛依德稱之為焦慮經驗的「無助感」和「無目的」威脅的感覺提供必要的意義和理解。就是說，可以用存在主義哲學來重新解釋佛洛依德的精神分析觀點” (111). 15 Besides having earned a bachelor degree in English literature, Rollo May used to learn with Alfred Adler, Erich Fromm and Harry Stack Sullivan, etc. He finished the Ph.D. thesis in clinical psychology, The Meaning of Anxiety. 11 12.

(24) sense of human life, saying that “tragedy is inseparably connected with the human being’s dignity and grandeur […and] the person’s moment of greatest insight” (The Discovery of Being 34). Additionally, Rollo May believes that “the task [of psychology] is to show not only how passions, desires, anxieties change and develop as a result of social process, but also how man’s energies thus shaped into specific forms in their turn become productive forces, molding the social process” (The Meaning of Anxiety 156). In other words, inner “tension” or the symbolic conflict displayed by the opposition between Apollo and. 政治大 growth, the realization of the notion of spiritual “becoming.” Although works of 立. Dionysus, is considered by both May and Peter Shaffer as prerequisite for spiritual. ‧ 國. 學. psychology by Rollo May have often been criticized for being “unsystematic and retrospective” (Ryckman 351) and “quite imprecise and difficult to test” (Ryckman 350),. ‧. they are still valuable. Stating that “[b]oth psychoanalysis and existentialism ask. y. sit. io. er. contribution.. Nat. fundamental questions about human existence” (341), Richard Ryckman reassures May’s. al. As to Equus, Antonia Pancotan rightly observes that “Alan is not the only character. n. v i n Ctohreturn to the purityUof perception, leaving behind in motion, but Dysart is too. He aims engchi all that is artificial and all the common places of thought by stripping off all social conventionalities” (4). In Equus, Alan and Dysart are burdened with this struggle, with anxiety. Rollo May’s description of anxiety explains the situation: “Anxiety is the apprehension cued off by a threat to some value which the individual holds essential to his existence” (The Meaning of Anxiety 191). By stating “I’m lost. What use, I should be asking, are questions like these to an overworked psychiatrist in a provincial hospital?” (Equus 18) at the beginning of the play, Dysart reveals his anxiety with his identity crisis. Likewise, Alan’s identity crisis will also be conveyed through Dysart’s contemplation. 12.

(25) Since terms and concepts of Rollo May’s existential psychology are rather abstract and difficult to be used alone in achieving my argument, I will borrow the other two scholars’ theories. Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of carnivalesque and Ernst Jentsch’s study on psychological uncertainty will be used individually in chapters three and four respectively to prove the protagonists’ spiritual growth from a different view. Critics have studied the conflict displayed by the relationship between Alan and Dysart, so in this paper I would turn to focus on exploring their own inner conflict. In a therapy, the relationship between the therapist and his patient is important. However, since a therapy involves two. 政治大. individuals with different backgrounds, reaching an effective result requires both sides’. 立. devotion.. ‧ 國. 學. The influence of “anxiety” is normally considered by many as negative; however, “anxiety” for Peter Shaffer in Equus is a metaphor of an individual’s struggle to fulfill the. ‧. ideal self. The present thesis examines the inner conflict of the protagonists in the play,. sit. y. Nat. Alan Strang and Martin Dysart, from the perspective of Rollo May’s existential. io. al. er. psychology. Although Alan and Dysart are influenced by social values and have a poor self-image,16 this thesis argues that the therapy they go through help them cope with. n. v i n C hachieve spiritual growth anxiety, examine their beliefs, and e n g c h i U through showing self-acceptance and forgiveness of others. 1.5 Chapter Organization. Before embarking on a discussion of the protagonists’ coping with anxiety, it is essential to understand how anxiety is represented in this play. In the second chapter “Anxiety, its Signs and Consequence” I will borrow Rollo May’s concept of anxiety to analyze the characters in the play. Characters in Equus obviously come across inner conflict as there is a discrepancy between their actions and beliefs. The play implies that 16. Macmillan English-Chinese Dictionary defines “self-image” as one’s opinions about oneself (1793). 13.

(26) accepting social values blindly will result in man’s “anxiety” and identity crisis that may come afterwards. Because May’s theory of anxiety is closely related with society’s influence on people, I will discuss the representation of anxiety seen on the characters concerning their social roles. While other characters remain passive in the face of a discrepancy between their own actions and beliefs, Alan Strang and Martin Dysart encounter their own identity crisis and display their own anxiety in a very specific way. , The therapy Alan and Dysart go through helps them see their own identity crisis, which proves Rollo May’s belief that “anxiety is the possibility of value transformation”. 政治大 are influenced by certain values in the unsympathetic society and have a poor self-image, 立. (Psychology and the Human Dilemma 82). The therapy reveals that both Alan and Dysart. ‧ 國. 學. unable to accept what they themselves have thought or done—this is their identity crisis. Although Alan and Dysart in Equus are placed in a world that is permeated with an. ‧. unsympathetic atmosphere, their sensation of uncertainty about the presence of the image. sit. y. Nat. of “Equus” prompts them to examine their own values throughout the therapy.. io. al. er. In the third chapter “Transforming Anxiety I: Emergence of Individuality” I borrow Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of carnivalesque to analyze the scenes in which the protagonists. n. v i n Ch symbolically confront their own inner self and demonstrate e n g c h i Uthe notion of spiritual. “becoming.” Bakhtin formulates his theory of carnivalesque to explain the phenomenon that people achieve spiritual growth through confrontation. Bakhtin’s theory of carnivalesque features the notion of two opposing powers17 confront each other on a “marketplace” (Rabelais and His World 81) and thereby achieve spiritual renewal through the act of “degradation” (Rabelais and His World 24), overturning power hierarchy between the high and the low in a symbolic way. Ruth Coates observes, “carnival is seen. 17. In his theory of carnivalesque Bakhtin specifically analyses the confrontation between the folk culture and the official culture. Typically the theory of carnivalesque is applied in a social context, but the central concept of subversion of the theory fits my model in this thesis in analyzing the mental world of the protagonists in Equus. 14.

(27) by Bakhtin to address a primarily existential state of humankind, and the liberation it brings about is in the first instance a liberation of the spirit” (127). Coates further comments that carnival is “associated with the suffering of the individual who finds himself as a mortal in a cosmos which is subject to the cycle of death and renewal” (130). The stage of Equus can be treated as a marketplace in Bakhtin’s theory of carnivalesque, because the therapy sessions performed on the stage/in the hospital help Alan Strang and Martin Dysart confront and communicate with their own inner self. Whereas the past Dysart being referred to represents his original self, belonging to one side of the power. 政治大 the past events narrated by Dysart are performed simultaneously on the other half of the 立. struggle, the narrator Dysart is the hidden self, the opponent of the first one. In addition,. ‧ 國. 學. stage, transforming the abstract mental world, along with Alan Strang’s, into material reality—this also manifests the act of “degradation.” Through the help of the therapy, they. ‧. not only see their own identity crisis but also express their own ideal self. Through the. sit. y. Nat. interpretative framework of Bakhtin’s theory of carnivalesque, the protagonists’ symbolic. io. al. er. confrontation with their own inner self on the play’s narrative and stage can be better. n. understood, and the notion of “becoming” as a reward of their coping with anxiety will be explained.. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Chapter four “Transforming Anxiety II: Integration of the Broken Self” aims to highlight the scenes in which Alan Strang and Martin Dysart embody the notion of spiritual “becoming” by showing insight into life. I apply Ernst Jentsch’s study on the phenomenon of psychological “uncertainty” to explain how Alan and Dysart develop understandings of life and perceive the world in a more sympathetic view during the therapy. Jentsch explains that when an individual has gained more “intellectual mastery” of the “environment” (227), he/she will have the sensation of “uncertainty” (218), which signifies a newly developed insight into life. In Equus, Alan and Dysart gain insight into 15.

(28) life at the end of the therapy. While “Equus” appears initially as a symbol of passion to both Alan and Dysart, its malicious nature as a manifestation of society’s negative influence on man’s spiritual well-being is revealed as more clues about Alan’s personality have been investigated and put together by Dysart throughout the therapy. Whereas Dysart tries to unveil the mystery of “Equus,” Alan struggles to fight against the scary presence of it in his nightmare. The protagonists’ sensation of uncertainty aroused by encountering the presence of “Equus” as their own inner divinity—half a horse and half a man—plays the role that prompts them to start coping with anxiety, recognizing their own. 政治大 of “Equus” being a manifestation of their own identity crisis, Alan and Dysart achieve 立. identity crisis and examining the values they are taught to believe in. With the discovery. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. spiritual growth in showing self-acceptance and forgiveness of others.. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. 16. i n U. v.

(29) Chapter Two Anxiety, Signs and Consequence Søren Kierkegaard in the 19th century and Sigmund Freud in the 20th century have both constructed their own hypothesis on the cause of “anxiety,” the manifestation of man’s inner conflict. “Anxiety” can thus be seen as an experience shared by people regardless of time and space. People suffering from anxiety may come into conflict with. 政治大. his/her own inner self, and this unsolved inner conflict will lead them to encounter. 立. identity crisis. Self-confrontation is difficult but important. As Kierkegaard states: “To. ‧ 國. 學. venture causes anxiety, but not to venture is to lose one's self,” and “to venture in the highest is precisely to be conscious of one's self” (qtd. in Rollo May, The Meaning 10). In. ‧. other words, some people may deny, remain unaware of or passive in the face of. y. Nat. sit. self-confrontation, but some choose to cope with anxiety and are rewarded by this. n. al. er. io. experience. In Equus, Alan and Dysart belong to the latter type of man.. i n U. v. Like the other characters, Alan and Dysart have internalized social values, but the. Ch. engchi. therapy they go through offers them an opportunity to examine the values they are taught to believe and see their own identity crisis. Throughout the therapy they “venture” to understand and express their own ideal self in coping with anxiety. C. J. Gianakaris considers the therapy “track[s] down the workings of Alan’s mind and soul” and “discover[s] an irreconcilable chasm between individual spontaneity and social structures in [Dysart’s] own life” (qtd. in Modern Dramatist 14). In this chapter, I will discuss the representation of anxiety in Equus from Rollo May’s perspective of existential psychology.. 17.

(30) 2.1 Mapping Anxiety Martin Dysart’s psychiatric skills such as hypnotization, dream analysis, free association are all drawn from Freudian psychology, which was introduced to the world in the twentieth century. Freudian psychology is born from the turbulence of the twentieth century, which is described by Rollo May as “a time of uncertainty—a time of war, military draft, economic change, with a future of insecurity facing us no matter how we look at it” (Man’s Search for Himself 17; emphasis original). In Post War: A History of Europe Since 1945, Tony Judt particularly points out Europe in the Seventies, the time in. 政治大. which Equus was written, was a decade of transition and in which people lost their. 立. directions of lives. Judt observes,. ‧ 國. 學. Whereas the Sixties were marked by the naïve, self-congratulatory impulse to believe that everything happening was new—and everything new was. ‧. significant—the Seventies were an age of cynicism, of lost illusions and. sit. y. Nat. reduces expectations. (477). io. er. As a result, Europe in the Seventies was marked with man's loss of faith, either in. al. themselves or in society. Martin Luther King’s spirit of racial equality in the Sixties was a. n. v i n beacon for the post-war era, and theC Hippie culture characterized the Sixties with hen gchi U. individuality. However, the light of humanism of the Sixties descended to people’s lack of sympathy shown in the Seventies, which is illustrated in Equus. May observes, “[a]n individual’s anxiety is conditioned by the fact that he lives in a given culture at a particular point in the historical development” (The Meaning of Anxiety 154). Equus reflects this concept as it depicts a contemporary society where people lose faith and appear unsympathetic toward each other for they are under the influence of a general sense of powerlessness and the cynical atmosphere in their society.. 18.

(31) In Equus, Martin Dysart’s sense of feeling “lost” at the beginning of the play (Equus 18) indicates the disintegration of the totality of his existence. Rollo May believes that an individual’s totality of existence is consisted of three dimensions, which he calls “the world of beings of one’s own kind, the world of one’s fellow men, [and] the world of relationship to oneself” (The Discovery of Being 126). The first dimension of existence refers to the material world, for example, lands, mountains, waters, the sky, rocks, our physical bodies and so forth. In this dimension of existence, there are only substances circulate in the natural world. In the second dimension of existence “the world of one’s. 政治大 interrelationship. It can be observed in social units from small to big, such as among two 立 fellow men,” the center of our lives lies in the connection with others, namely human’s. ‧ 國. 學. people, in a family, in a community and in a country. Society usually requires people to follow certain rules to sustain this dimension of human existence. In the dimension of. ‧. one’s “relationship to oneself,” an individual inevitably has to examine the discrepancy. sit. y. Nat. between his/her beliefs and actions. Many people choose to avoid such a spiritual. io. al. er. confrontation because this experience will cause them anxiety. In Equus, the characters. v i n C hwith the majority toUavoid the uneasiness caused by Many people align themselves engchi n. are facing this existential dilemma.. coping with anxiety. Rollo May states that “the sources of anxiety are to be found in certain trends in our culture” and it suggests “the pressure toward conformity18 (emphasis mine) which occurs in a world where commercial and mechanical values are apotheosized” (The Meaning of Anxiety 5). “Conformity” is used by May to describe an individual who tries to “validates himself [or herself] by fitting into the herd” (Psychology and the Human Dilemma 77). In other words, an individual conforming to society “adopts. 18 When an individual is acting with “conformity” he/she may be “behaving in the same way as most other people” (Collins Cobuild Intermediate Dictionary of American English 173), agreeing with established rules, customs, etc.” (Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture 288) or complying with “standards, rules, or laws” (Oxford Dictionary Online). 19.

(32) entirely the kind of personality offered to him [or her] by cultural patterns,” and “he [or she] therefore becomes exactly as all others are and as they expect him [or her] to be” (The Meaning of Anxiety 175). May’s following words provide a further explanation: People today no longer live under the authority of church or moral laws, but under ‘anonymous authorities’ like public opinion. The authority is the public itself, but this public is merely a collection of many individuals each his radar set adjusted to finding out what the others expect of him. (Man’s Search for Himself 25). 政治大 to judge each other inappropriately. In Civilization and Its Discontents, Freud points out 立. This notion can be connected to Sigmund Freud’s idea that people in modern society tend. ‧ 國. 學. this phenomenon. Freud observes that people’s seeking for “power, success and wealth” indicates that they are using “false standards of measurement” to see the world (11). He. ‧. argues that “in making any general judgment of this sort, we are in danger of forgetting. sit. y. Nat. how variegated the human world and its mental life are” (11). Freud implies that. io. al. er. conforming to certain values is a problem for people today; his idea, coincidentally, reflects Peter Shaffer’s observation on contemporary England’s neglect of other people’s. n. v i n Cvalues Conforming to social people to feel confident and safe in h e nallow gchi U. individuality.19. society. May explains, “if [a person’s] self-esteem must rest in the long run on social validations, [he or she has has] not self-esteem, but a more sophisticated form of social conformity”20 (qtd. in Ewen 223). In Equus, characters behave according to mainstream values their social roles represent and judge people by these values. Their beliefs and actions are manipulated by certain values of society, which will be discussed later in this chapter. Consequently, an individual under the influence of anxiety may encounter his/her own 19 20. I have already mentioned this in chapter one. The original text goes like “if your self-esteem…you have not self-esteem.” 20.

(33) identity crisis. May compares an individual’s life to a baseball game and explains that, avoid to deal with anxiety will make an individual become the bystander in his/her own life: one is unable to hit the ball and hopelessly watches the ball flying by (qtd. in Indick 209). This analogy is a metaphor of someone losing grip of life, signifying an individual’s identity crisis. Nevertheless, May suggests that “[a]nxiety is the possibility of value transformation” (Psychology and the Human Dilemma 82). In other words, life can change if an individual decides to cope with anxiety, learns to see it clear and does something—this will be my argument in this thesis. I will argue, in Equus, the therapy. 政治大 identity crisis. In order to highlight the two protagonists as people who choose to cope 立 Alan Strang and Martin Dysart go through offers them an opportunity to see their own. ‧ 國. 學. with anxiety and thus fulfill the notion of spiritual “beoming,” I will classify the characters in the play into two groups as comparison in the following discussion: the. ‧. ignorant man and the waking man.. y. Nat. sit. 2.2 Man of Anxiety I: The Ignorant Man. n. al. er. io. Equus depicts a world where people are under the influence of internalized social. i n U. v. values but avoid to recognize or remain unware of this reality. Antonia Pancotan believes. Ch. engchi. that Equus illustrates “the conflict between the main characters and the mediocrity of social life” (2). The characters such as members of elite and households remain passive in the face of the discrepancy between their actions and the beliefs their social roles represent. 2.2.1 Anxiety of the Public In Equus, members of the elite, such as legislators and doctors, all see Alan Strang as a thorough lunatic but act calm and provide no help. When asking for Martin Dysart’s help in the beginning of the play, the magistrate Hesther Salomon emphasizes that her 21.

(34) colleagues have no sympathy for Alan. In Act I, scene 2: DYSART: Now look, Hesther. Before you say anything else, I can take no more patients at the moment. I can't even cope with the ones I have. HESTHER: You must. DYSART: Why? HESTHER: Because most people are going to be disguised by the whole thing. Including doctors. DYSART: May I remind you I share this room with two highly competent. 政治大 HESTHER: Bennett and Thoroughgood. They'll be as shocked as the public. 立 psychiatrists?. ‧ 國. 學. DYSART: That's an absolutely unwarrantable statement.. HESTHER: Oh, they'll be cool and exact. And underneath they'll be revolted,. ‧. and immovably English. Just like my bench. (Equus 19; emphasis mine). sit. y. Nat. These members of elite are educated in institutions and are trained to follow certain codes. io. er. of conducts. Legislators should carry out justice and doctors are expected by general. al. people to help patients. However, Hesther’s account implies that they are narrow-minded. n. v i n C hhelp, they choose toUstand aside and just want to and demoralized. Instead of providing engchi get Alan out of their sight. They act calm before other people to make themselves look. professional and show the least degree of humanity because the public would expect them to react so. These characters can be understood as people who use “false standards of measurement” to judge just as Sigmund Freud has suggested, because they apply a public standard to judge others but not weigh their own attitude and deeds in the same way. The phenomena that they follow a general moral standard to see Alan as insane and to avoid showing any sign of distaste, according to Rollo May, displays “conformity.” In addition, the portrayal of these social elite being “immovably English” reflects the playwright’s 22.

(35) observation on his contemporary society as a “tragic world” (A Casebook 33) as people refuse to recognize the individuality of others. As to these elite, a distinct disparity exists between their actions and the ideals their professions should serve to achieve. Subsequently, the doctor whose name is “Thoroughgood” becomes an ironic existence. Besides members of elite, customers visiting the shop selling “electrical and kitchenware” (Equus 33) where Alan Strang works behave unsympathetically in a similar way. In Act I, scene 17, Alan is working: CUSTOMER [1]: I want to buy a hot-plate. I'm told the Philco is a good. 政治大 ALAN: I think it is, madam. 立 make.. ‧ 國. 學. CUSTOMER [2]: Remington ladies' shavers? ALAN: I'm not sure, madam.. ‧. CUSTOMER [3]: Robex tableware?. sit. y. Nat. CUSTOMER [4]: Croydes?. io. al. er. CUSTOMER [5]: Volex?. v. n. CUSTOMER [6]: Pifco automatic toothbrushes? […]. Ch. engchi. i n U. ALAN: Sorry!21 (Equus 54) Customers rush in and make request to purchase all at the same time that Alan could not handle it and almost gets enraged. These impatient buyers are unwilling to wait until Alan finishes serving previous customers. Their desire must be fulfilled immediately. Their anxiety is displayed in that they have no patience toward other customers, because as customers, anyone of them would wish to be served first if he/she arrives at the shop earlier than others; in this sense, they should respect and be patient with each other, but 21. The customers are numbered by me in order to show the quantity of them and illustrate the annoying atmosphere in Alan’s working place. 23.

(36) the reality is the opposite. Moreover, purchasing household goods by brands rather than having an actual conversation with Alan displays what Rollo May describes as “conformity” as they all act in the same way, aligning themselves to the values the majority follows. In short, member of elite and the customers are under the negative influence of anxiety, which can be observed in their unsympathetic attitude toward Alan. They are unaware of the discrepancy existing between their actions and beliefs. Through concealing their own feelings and showing no patience toward each other, these two. 政治大 remaining passive in the face of the gap between their own actions and beliefs, they judge 立 groups of people can be said to display a broken totality of existence, because other than. ‧ 國. 學. Alan by a collective moral standard and do not recognize Alan’s individuality. If we apply Rollo May’s concept of anxiety, these characters can be said to have lost genuine. ‧. connection with others and themselves, demonstrating a broken totality of their own. sit. y. Nat. existence.. n. al. er. io. 2.2.2 Anxiety within the Household. i n U. v. While the above mentioned characters display their anxiety through showing a. Ch. engchi. discrepancy between their beliefs and actions in the public, Dora Strang and Frank Strang face the same existential dilemma in the household. They both cling to the values their social roles represent, such as their own career or the parental roles each of them plays in the family. They neither have ever reached a common ground upon raising their child Alan, nor have they seen the year-long problems in their marriage. They both see themselves as unqualified parents but refuse to examine what went wrong in the family. Analyzing Dora and Frank would help understand Alan’s anxiety, which will be discussed later in this chapter.. 24.

(37) 2.2.2.1 A Father: Frank Strang First, Frank Strang claims that he is against capitalism but immerses himself in a capitalist ideal. As a man of profession, Frank has been enforcing his ideas upon his family. For example, in Act I, scene 6: FRANK: [To Alan] I know you think it's none of my beeswax, but it really is you know…Actually, it's a disgrace when you come to think of it. You the son of a printer, and never opening a book! If all the world was like you, I'd be out of a job, if you receive my meaning!. 政治大 FRANK [reasonably]: They change if you let them change, Dora. Please 立. DORA: All the same, times change, Frank.. ‧ 國. ALAN [crying out]: No!. 學. return that set in the morning.. ‧. DORA: Frank! No!. sit. y. Nat. […]. io. er. DORA: But, dear, everyone watches television these days!. al. v i n C hsome laughing idiotUselling you something you don't Every five minutes engchi n. FRANK: Yes, and what do they watch? Mindless violence! Mindless jokes!. want, just to bolster up the economic system. [To ALAN.] I'm sorry, old chum. (Equus 28) Frank’s concern for his son is proven to be an expression of anxiety of losing his job, because he states that he may lose his job if television becomes more popular in society. Such anxiety should be common among his colleagues. In other words, he is judging the value of television in the household from a perspective people work with him may also have. Of course, the family’s livelihood depends on him, but it is inconsiderate of him to demand returning the television while his family is enjoying it. Frank leaves no space for 25.

(38) further discussion in the family, and his unwillingness to agree with Dora about the fact that time has changed displays a sense of nostalgia, which is characteristic of Europe in the Seventies.22 Holding unto the past provides him a way to avoid dealing with the possibility that he may lose his job due to the changes happening in society. Second, Frank Strang blames his wife for neglecting their son’s education while he himself has done nothing to help but being cynical. During the psychiatrist’s visit, Frank comments that his wife is responsible for Alan’s deviant personality. In Act I, scene 6: DORA: I always wanted the boy to ride himself. He’d have so enjoyed it.. 政治大. DYSART: But surely he did?. 立. DORA: No.. ‧ 國. 學. DYSART: Never?. DORA: He didn’t care for it. He was most definite about not wanting to.. ‧. […]. sit. y. Nat. FRANK: My wife has romantic ideas, if you receive my meaning…she. io. er. thinks she married beneath her. I daresay she did. I don’t understand these. al. things myself…. n. v i n DYSART: Mr. Strang, C I’mhfascinated by the U that Alan wouldn’t ride. e n g c h i fact FRAK: Yes, well that’s him. He’s always been a weird lad, I have to be honest. Can you imagine spending your week-ends like that—just cleaning out stalls—with all the things that he could have been doing in the way of Further Education?...He’s never really tried. His mother indulged him. She doesn’t care if he can hardly write his own name, and she a school teacher that was. Just as long as he’s happy, she says… (Equus 33) Frank, obviously, does not care to understand Alan. Calling Alan “a weird lad” is the. 22. See “Mapping Anxiety” in this chapter, page 18. 26.

(39) easiest way for Frank to avoid the responsibility as a father whenever anything bad happens. Additionally, Frank is troubled with his low self-esteem in his marriage with Dora because he then attributes Alan’s strange personality to Dora’s careless education and indulgence. It seems that Frank himself has the idea about what way to educate Alan is more effective, but in this conversation he reveals himself to be a person who only criticizes and has done nothing to help sharing the burden of raising their only child. Third, Frank Strang also enforces his ideas to intervene his family’s spiritual well-being. In the midst of the conversation with the psychiatrist Frank claims:. 政治大 opinion, it's the Bible that's responsible for all this. 立. FRANK: I'm an atheist, and I don't mind admitting it. If you want my. ‧ 國. 學. DYSART: Why?. FRANK: Well, look at it yourself. A boy spends night after night having this. ‧. stuff read into him; an innocent a tortured to death—thorns driven into his. sit. y. Nat. head-nails into his hands—a spear jammed through his ribs. It can mark. io. er. anyone for life, that kind of thing. I'm not joking. The boy was absolutely. al. v i n mean real kinky C ones, my meaning. I had to put a stop to it h eif you n greceive chi U n. fascinated by all that. He was always mooning over religious pictures. I. once or twice! [...] [Pause.] Bloody religion-it's our only real problem in this house, but it's insuperable; I don't mind admitting it. […] FRANK: Call it what you like. All that stuff to me is just bad sex. DORA: And what has that go to do with Alan? FRANK: Everything! [...] [Seriously.] Everything, Dora! (Equus 34) Expressing in an exaggerated way makes Frank himself appear very imprecise when discussing his son’s problems in this conversation with the psychiatrist. On the other hand, 27.

(40) by criticizing the Bible’s negative influence on Alan, Frank again implies that Dora alone should be blamed, showing his unwillingness to take responsibility of the paternal role while he is making judgements from the position as the master in the house. As Frank connects Alan’s fascination for biblical stories to the idea of religion as a “bad sex,” he is indicating that his life with Dora is unsuccessful, because he is also saying that Dora believes in the idea of “romantic” sex written in the Bible and that her way of education, an ideal also drawn from the Bible, is the source of Alan’s deviant behavior. Consequently, Frank shows a discrepancy between his own actions and beliefs as he. 政治大 television for self-entertainment in the family. Close to the end of the play a scene reveals 立 is caught watching a porn by his son while he has been protesting against watching. ‧ 國. 學. that Frank has been ignorant about the influence social values have on him and that he loses connection with his own inner self. One night Frank is watching a porn in a theater. ‧. and has bumped into son with a girlfriend. Then he makes a long excuse to explain. In. sit. y. Nat. Act II, scene 30:. io. er. FRANK: [stiffly] I'd like you to know something. Both of you. I came here. al. v i n purposes. I happenCtohbe a printer, Miss. A picture house needs posters. engchi U n. tonight to see the Manager. He asked me to call on him for business. That's entirely why I'm here. To discuss posters. While I was waiting I happened to glance in, that's all. I can only say I'm going to complain to the council. I had no idea they showed films like this. I'm certainly going to refuse my services. (Equus 94) Astonished by Alan’s presence, Frank manages to react seriously as if nothing has happened. Obviously, inside his mind he feels ashamed as he was the one telling Alan to read more and not to watch media nonsense. Given this fact, Frank embarrasses himself as he shows up watching a porn to entertain himself before his son. Unlike the arrogant 28.

(41) person Frank normally appears to be, Frank demonstrates a sense of nervousness and a lack of confidence in this situation. Note that in this scene Alan does not ask him to explain anything. In other words, Frank’s nervousness may result from his sense of being an unqualified paternal model, because he knows that he has been lying—he is aware of his self-contradiction. If we apply Rollo May’s concept of anxiety, Frank can be said to have lost spiritual connection with his family and with himself, demonstrating his damaged totality of existence. As a man of profession, a husband, and a father, Frank is conditioned by the values these roles represent, namely the capitalistic ideas and the. 政治大. paternal authority. He is under the influence of anxiety.. 立. 2.2.2.2 A Mother: Dora Strang. ‧ 國. 學. Similar to her cynical husband, Dora Strang shows her own identity crisis as she emphasizes that she has dutifully fulfilled her maternal roles as a mother and a wife in the. ‧. family, but shows a hysterical sense of guilt and experiences emotional breakdown. Her. y. Nat. sit. unawareness of her own inner conflict can be observed in several scenes. First, while the. n. al. er. io. psychiatrist is paying a visit, Dora experiences an emotional breakdown because she. i n U. v. believes that Alan is a symbol of love but she cannot see him in this way now. In Act I, scene 7:. Ch. engchi. DORA: I told him the biological facts. But I also told him what I believed. That sex is not just a biological matter, but spiritual as well. That if God willed, he would fall in love one day. That his task was to prepare himself for the most important happening of his life. And after that, if he was lucky, he might come to know a higher love still …I simply…don't understand…Alan!... [She breaks down in sobs.] Her husband gets up and goes to her.] 29.