Individuals need to be understood

Consider and evaluate the different ways in which the writers of your chosen texts 

present the individual’s need to be understood by society.

The desire to be understood by society is reflected in both Shakespear's Othello a tragedy and Shaffer's Equus a psychoanalytical play. Othello is a tragedy written and set in the Elizabethan/ Jacobean seventeenth century, they were colonial prejudice and were Westernized into the fear of 'other' and change. Equu's however, was written in a secularized twentieth century during an anti-psychiatrist movement. The context of the plays are important with the understanding of the Characters, and the writers motif and catharsis, through subtle and blatant rhetorical techniques, "Not I, I must be found" a powerful declarative used by Shakespear to characterize a brave, courageous persona in Othello, to show he must be understood by his words and presence only. Openly, Shaffer creates a similar declarative sentence in the introduction of the Psychiatrist Dysart "I'm desperate", a clear understanding of his emotional desires through a dialog towards the contemporary audience, he is desperate to understand Alan his patient, the protagonist of this play.

Shakespeare was influenced by the external factors during the seventeenth century, the racial prejudice and the colonial fear of the different. From this understanding of the audience, Shakespeare was able to use Othello to create a catharsis of difference, and portray a message of understanding of the black individual to the audience. Elizabeth I was known to have Black Moroccan ambassadors, this was just as new to society as Elizabeth herself, as there was a clear line of hierarchy being God first, angels, King, man, women, children, animal, vegetable and then minerals in that order. For there to be a Queen to be a ruler created an upset in society, they were said to not know how to react to this news. This could be the same said for Othello, as we are introduced to Othello in a high role as a general. He is spoken to in high complementary register from the Duke, "valiant Othello", this suggests that the Duke understands that Othello is of a high station and is well needed to help them in the War. Othello, during Act 1 is in need to be understood, he demonstrates this need through high polysyllabic, iambic pentameter, figurative dialog and used similes and metaphors so verbally present his need for understanding in society for the marriage to a white individual. This understanding is unclear to Brabantio, who represents the older generation in the Seventeenth century, his prejudice racist attitude towards Othello and his emotive and disjointed attitude towards Desdemona is portrayed through his semantic field of racist "Moor, feared to look on, hell". Hell was connoted as the devil during this era, the Elizabethans believed in magic, witches, hell and heaven and God, they were Christian, and to be understood furthermore, Othello was converted into Christianity. Resources suggest that you could tell a man's persona from the way his face was structured and his appearance, Othello, being in a Westernized society with black (the devils colour) skin was feared especially with the stereotypical attitude of blacks being over emotional. Othello was Hubristic, typical of a Greek tragedy, this showed his flaws that the audience would analyse and interpret his downfall.