Masque | Definition, Meaning and Example

MASQUE

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• OTHER LITERARY TERMS:

CHORUS

MYTH

AESTHETICISM

COMEDY

GENRE

TRAGEDY

DECORUM

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THE MASQUE

The masque was developed in Renaissance Italy and flourished in England during the reigns of Elizabeth, James l, and Charles I. It was an elaborate form of court entertainment. It combined poetic drama, music song, dance, and splendid costuming and stage spectacle. A plot often slight and mainly mythological and allegorical served to hold together these diverse elements. The characters, which wore masques, were played by ladies and gentlemen of the court including royalty itself.

In the early 17″ century the masque drew upon the finest artistic talent of the day. The two best known example of masque are found in Shakespeare’s 4″ act of “The Tempest” and “Milton’s Comus“, which was presented, at Ludlow Castle in 1634. Spenser too incorporated masque like episodes in “The Faerie Queene“. The influence of masque is apparent in The Tempest. Even Shakespeare’s another play “As You Like It” is also masque like as it does not have serious action. There is the prominence of music. The era of music and masque ended with the triumph of the puritan Revolution in 1642.

SALIENT FEATURES OF MASQUE:

• The salient features of masque are as follows:

 

1. There is the use of allegorical and mythical subjects.

2. The characters are usually gods and goddesses of classical mythology or personified qualities such as Delight, Grace, Love, Harmony etc.

3. The number of characters are usually small and they are often divided between males and females.

4. Rhymed verse is used.

5. The Masques were performed privately and the actors and actresses were amateurs.

6. Their object was usually to celebrate marriages in high life.They were written for particular occasions. Hence they were characterized by music and dance.

ANTI MASQUE

The anti masque was a form developed by Ben Jonson. In it the characters were queer and disorderly, the action ridiculous, and the humor broad; it served as a foil to the elegance, order and ceremony of the masque proper, with which it was juxtaposed.