Commedia Dell Arte

I love wearing masks. I love transforming my entire being into something completely different. Offstage I’m Culley Emborg, a likeable, friendly, normal kid, but on stage, I can be anyone. Over the years, I have participated in ten musicals and I’ve played a variety of characters ranging from one of the oblivious Who-people in a Dr. Suess-inspired production to a spiteful doll in “Mary Poppins” to a crippled nerd in “13: The Musical.” The best character I’ve played, however, is the stupid yet loveable Leaf Coneybear from “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” As Leaf I wore the most wacky, unique outfit to ever grace my body: a pink bike helmet intended for little girls, knee pads decorated with Dora the Explorer stickers, a collared, tie-dye shirt, and even a long polkadot cape embroidered with a purple “L.” To this day that cape hangs on my bedroom wall and every time I happen to glance at it I reminisce about the odd boy it once belonged to.

Masks have held countless uses and meanings throughout history. Masks have been used in plays, like those of Shakespeare, traditional dances, social gatherings, even as a form of casual or corporal punishment. Although masks have several different uses in different cultural situations, the meaning of the masks is generally the same. Masks are used to conceal an appearance and assume the identity of another. Metaphorically, masks can be used to hide feelings, to protect oneself, and to block out the outside world. Many of these examples are shown in Art Speigelman 's Maus.

The masks act as a way for the guests to block their guilt from being exposed after leaving people beyond the four walls to fend for themselves. “It was towards the close of the fifth or sixth month of his seclusion, and while the pestilence raged most furiously abroad, that the prince Prospero entertained his thousand friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence” (Poe, Par.4). The invitees put on masks to symbolically obscure themselves from the fate of the “Red Death”. Poe is stating that the people are falling into the same arrogant way of thinking as Prospero by trying to escape disease. The party-goers are also hiding from themselves and each other because they selfishly tried to make themselves immune to the disease while leaving the outside world to fend for their lives. The masks being worn also helps give the sense of confidence while being “hidden”, especially Prospero. “ ‘Who dares’-- he demanded hoarsely of the courtiers who stood near him-- ‘Who dares insult us with this blasphemous mockery? Seize him and unmask him-that we may know whom we have to hang, at sunrise, from the battlements!’ (Poe, par.11). As soon as Prospero’s eyes landed on the mummer, there was a surge of confidence that shot up within his body in a split second. The mask upon Prospero’s face caused him to act in a boastful and cocky way to try and defeat the mummer, despite

Masks portray a sense of mystery. “No one could see me clearly. No one could see my face.” Lucy, Grealy. Masks. Print. The unknown is often intriguing. Generally their worn to portray a character or someone other than yourself and symbolize an imaginary life. For Lucy, it portrayed a sense of freedom. The freedom from being stared at, teased, lonely, and occasionally envious of others. Halloween is the only day that Lucy experience’s an ordinary life. Unlike the majority of other days’ mask are customary and her disability is masked. Providing her with the confidence to express herself freely by asking questions and making comments. “Studies show children with disabilities are two to three times more likely to be bullied than their non-disabled

Such characters as these were created because the audience could relate to them and laugh. As the people changed, so too did stock characters. More were added into the list of masks, and elements such as costume changed to suit the society the play was directed at.

Masks were sometimes created for the purpose of being used in a ceremonies by a priest. The mask would be a certain deity and the priest would be dressed in costume to play out that character. By portraying the deity the priest would be

What are masks? One usually thinks it is an object the individual puts on and takes off.

Everyone uses masks to free them to do, say or act in a manner that they normally wouldn’t. People use them all the time, whether it is just changing to treat someone a certain way or just needing to be a different way to make a situation better, but can also be used in harmful ways that can be used to compel violence. Masks manipulate us to hide from our true selves, they will make the one who wears one inferior to all others. In the story, The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the world is in the middle of the biggest war ever, the power of masks and anonymity throughout this time period establish the terror. They put on these masks to give them the freedom to commit terrorizing acts and have no shame, alike with how William Golding allowed his characters have their power over the others. Golding had his characters apply paint to their faces which then altered the boy's mindset to act in a detrimental way. The mindset these boys obtain leads to many cruel parts in the story, including the killing of other boys on the island. This demonstrates the effect and power of being anonymous that is provided to these blood-thirsty boys. Before Jack and the boys used their masks to release their inner-savage, they were civilized, but having anonymity enables them to kill, not only pigs but other boys.

Venetian masks are typically used to hide the identity or social status of celebrators. With these masks, which are characterized by bright storylines along with colors because they become like the characters in Commedia dell'Arte ( a form of theater that depicts characters through masks). Some traditional masks are Bauta, Columbina, and etc. The Bauta mask is a traditional mask that covers the face, which makes it hard for wearers to do normal things that pertain to their face, such as eating, drinking and etc. In the 18th century, the Bauta was popularized because citizens are required to wear the mask while making decisions in relation to politics or governmental issues. Next, there is the Columbina mask which is an elegant mask that is decorated with various feathers, jews, and other expensive decorations. This mask was popularized by an actress in Commedia dell’Arte who retained the same name. In essence, masks are the essential part of Carnival and continue to be the main driving force for fun

In We Wear the Mask, the author’s purpose is to push the reader to feel something about the way things were in his perspective.

Commedia dell’arte was established during the sixteenth century at a time when theatre flourished in Italy. Despite such a rich time for the arts, a divide in the church as well as

An example of acting with masks is Commedia dell’Arte. Commedia dell’Arte has been performed from the 16th century to the 18th century. Its translation is Comedy of Art or Comedy of the Profession. It is the act of improvisation based on different scenarios. It originated in Italy and they were usually performed in temporary stages, like on streets, or even court venues. Some very well-known Commedia dell’arte performers actually performed in palaces and became even more famous once they started travelling abroad. Most of the time, actors played as stereotypical people from evil maids to kidnapped children. Commedia dell’arte was not just any amateur acting, only professionals were allowed to perform on stage so you would need years of proper training before being allowed to perform.

The mask is used to portray the character Amara, the second born child to the king of Norta. She was seen in one tragedy, “Even Trade”. The play is set in the kingdom of Norta, a large city suffering from poverty, in which crime flourishes.

Commedia dell art was not just well known because of their improvised performances but also their masks. Each mask represents the character of the actor’s role and they have a large array of human emotions. The use of masks wasn’t entirely a new idea, as some of the earliest theatre groups have their own designs. Masks show the audience that the actual character is on stage instead of being acted out. But performers still have to do it on cue as well; if cues are not included in their plays then the action fails to present the rhythm.

It is ironic how masquerades allow people hide behind a physical mask when they already wear an internal mask. The same way gladiators wear masks to display their ferocity and for protection from a weapon, people wear internal masks to protect them themselves from disapproval. “Masquerade” briefly reveals a story about a masquerade of lies and the pleasure of hiding one’s identity. Throughout the song there are smiles everywhere, and everyone is enjoying themselves in elaborate costumes, pretending to be someone else. The minor characters’ (ex. Firmin) conversation shows that their celebration is partly because the Phantom has disappeared for six months (S12-18), and has stopped assaulting the Theater (demanding that Christine be the lead voice)