Theater masks' roots go back as far as the ancient Greeks, but there are still early aspects of fit see in Africa and Japan. Even so, overall Greece is known as the center of comedic arts. Sometimes in plays, there would be fewer actors than the roles needed so masks allowed actors to play multiple roles. Masks were also helpful during these times because women weren’t allowed to act so men had to play all the female roles. Masks made it easier for a man to portray the role of a woman. The stages in Ancient Greece were also massive and it would be hard to see the characters' emotions if it weren’t for the emphasized expressions on the decorated masks. On top of that, theatrical masks make the characters identifiable. With masks, it’s easy to tell who are the bad guys and who are the good guys based on their detailed masks.
The symbolic comedy and tragedy masks not so surprisingly originated in Ancient Greece. These masks were originally used to worship Dionysus the god of wine and celebration who is often depicted wearing a mask as well. The Greeks even went as far as to give the masks names. The tragedy mask is called Melpomene while the comedy mask is referred to as Thalia. These were the names of the daughters of Zeus.
Even in cultures that don’t have the same traditions that Greece has in theater, more times than not masks are still apparent in performances. Many believed that masks kept bad spirits away. In the middle ages, portions of the bibles, such as the seven deadly sins, conveyed their messages through theatrical masks. These masks would come in all shapes and sizes. Beautiful ones to represent purity and grotesque masks to represent evil. During the renaissance in Italy, masks became a trend once more as people were looking into the origins of their theatrics.
This is a great photo!
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