5/26/2023 0 Comments Drama masks![]() Often these masks would have a large opening for the mouth which to speak from. Actors would utilize masks on stage as part of their performance in a large amphitheater setting. The comedy and tragedy masks stem from ancient Greek theatre about 400 BCE. Hence the mask associated with good times. She was also depicted with Dionysis in statues and paintings, however, she always had a mask on her face. In some stone statues, she is depicted wearing grapevines over her body. He was the god of grapes, wine, fertility, and good times. ![]() Melpomene was also closely associated with the Greek God Dionysis. Over time, the way the people viewed her changed and she became the muse of tragedy. ![]() The name “Melpomene” is actually derived from an Ancient Greek word meaning, “to celebrate with dance and song.” In the early days of her worship, she was considered to be the muse of singing. Melpomene represents the dramatic, serious, thoughtful, and contemplative theatrical genre, hence the tragic mask symbol. She comes from the Greek verb thallein meaning to flourish or be verdant. Thalia represented fun, laughter, delight, and hilarity, hence the comedy symbolism. The masks of comedy and tragedy represent stem from the Ancient Greek Gods Melanpome which was the Muse of Tragedy and Thalia which represents the Muse of comedy and idyllic poetry. They have roots in Ancient Greek Theater and Folklore where their influences survive to the present day. They are the cornerstone and symbolism of the Western dramatic world. From being symbolic of the two Muses, to becoming universally emblematic of drama and acting, the two theatre masks certainly have come a long, long way.Comedy and Tragedy theatrical masks have been associated with theater, film, and television for years. Tragedies were generally musical, and though the world today tends to look at tragedy as a more sophisticated and difficult form of drama, experts suggest that the ancient Greeks actually believed that comedy was the most difficult to portray, as well as more sophisticated than tragedy. The comedy and tragedy theatre masks are the most popular inheritance from ancient Greek theatre, as most of the plays back then were either comedies or tragedies. The origin of the theatre masks dates back to thousands of years ago. Since women did not take part in drama at all in those days, masks would help male actors to play female roles. In those days, theatre masks were made from clay, linen, or wood. The masks had large mouths which were designed to make talking easy for the actors. Theatre masks were an integral part of ancient theatre, and as we saw earlier, they were worn by actors so as to clearly depict their emotions to every member of the audience. The two masks are paired together to show the two extremes of the human psyche. The comedy and tragedy masks serve to show us the two aspects of human emotions― the comedy mask shows us how foolish human beings can be, while the tragedy mask portrays dark emotions, such as fear, sadness, and loss. Hence, we can conclude that theatre masks indeed played an extremely important role in ancient Greek drama. Similarly, one actor could play more than one character with the help of these masks. Theatre masks allowed them to play female roles with ease. ![]() These masks also allowed actors to play characters independent of age and gender, as all the actors in ancient Greek theatre were always men. The large faces added a sense of exaggeration to the actors’ emotions, which helped them convey their emotions to the entire open-air theatre. Mythology aside, theatre masks were used by actors during performances so as to clearly depict emotions to every member of the audience, even one who was sitting in the seats far away from the stage. Most of the ancient Greek plays were either comedies or tragedies, and hence, these two masks were the most popular ones.Īlong with being an homage to Dionysus, theatre masks have also been associated with Janus, the two-faced God of beginnings, doorways, gates, and passages, who is believed to have lent his name to the two masks, thus making the comedy and tragedy masks a pair. (In Greek mythology, a Muse was the protector of an art). The comedy and tragedy masks have also specifically been attributed to two of the nine Greek goddesses, who each was the Muse of a creative expression. ![]()
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