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In a previous study, a comparison of Peter Shaffer's The Royal Hunt of the Sun and Equus revealed a predominance of pre-oedipal issues, primarily unresolved orality associated with caretaking, basic trust, abandonment, separation-individuation, and the quest for fusion with the early nurturing mother. (Hamilton, 1979). Various symbolic links such as gold and horses were also found between the two plays. The Royal Hunt of the Sun tells about Pizarro and his brutal conquest of the Incas in order to take possession of their gold while Equus is an account of the blinding of horses by a seriously troubled adolescent, Alan Strang, who is referred by the court to a psychiatrist, Martin Dysart, for psychotherapy (Shaffer, 1964, 1975). In Equus, voyeuristic strivings derived from the upward displacement of oral incorporative wishes are important dynamically.
Peter Shaffer and his playwright brother Anthony being twins, the psychology of twinship, which is crucial to understanding unconscious determinants of their writings, includes intense rivalry; strong affectional ties; the protracted identification of one twin with the other; uncertainties in differentiating self and object representations; the fantasy of being only half a person; recurrent doubts about having been robbed in utero by one's sibling which may give rise to feelings of entitlement and of being an exception; the yearning for revenge; and the necessity to balance talents and gratifications so as to limit envy and hostility (Arlow, 1960; Glenn, 1966; Glenn and Glenn, 1968; Joseph, 1959).
Many of the above traits are described in the following observations made by Peter Shaffer about himself and his brother.
We were always dressed alike when we were children. I think now that's a very bad idea. It's hard enough to have another one like you without having the similarities stressed. The nightmare of being a twin is always being asked “Which one are you?” I'm afraid I'm very dull because I cannot remember the famous s