Equus

i am In the first, Alan, under gentle hypnosis, is undressing, climbing on horseback at night, and riding in mounting excitement 'till he has an orgasm, slumps off the horse and embraces it. The horses are played by actresses in track suits. It is like a chorus of horses in a ritualistic mean, so that the ride is at once an erotic and a religious experience. The second act ends with Alan, believing himself to …

…and for putting a teenager out of his agony. Alan's parents, though qarrelling and responsible for his state, both mean well and are deeply upset by what as become of him. The father shows himself capable of compassion and understanding when his wife gets distrought. But the central unanswered question posed by "Equus" is whether we need an element of mysticism to give our lives meaning. It is, as Shaffer says, a play about worship.