1. Representation of ancient theatre
in Greece
In the ancient theatre, the hypocrites and the chorus
members wore masks. The use of the masks derived
from the Dionysian cult, but it was established
because it served the ancient drama in many ways.
The mask created a face without personal features –it
rather displayed a character. By wearing it the actor
was not himself but somebody else, even a hero or a
god. The mask allowed ecstasy and it facilitated the
disguise of the actors who played two or more roles,
male and female, in the same play.
2.
3. Form of the masks
In tragedy and in the satirical drama the masks of the
hypocrites share common elements. The men’s masks
were dark and the women’s light coloured. There was a
great variety in their characteristics, such as in the
hair, eyebrows, nose and wrinkles. During the
Hellenistic period, greater attention was given to the
front part of the masks which became long and
voluminous. This change is connected with the
establishment of the logeion, from where the
hypocrites played facing the audience.
4. The members of the tragic chorus wore masks similar to those of the
hypocrites. The masks of the Satyr chorus in the satirical drama were
special: they depicted men with pointed beard, prominent facial features and
goat ears.
Man's mask Women's mask
5. In comedies
In comedy the facial characteristics of the masks were
exaggerated and deformed to provoke the laughter of the
audience. The mouth was especially wide, the eyebrows
accentuated and the facial expressions intense. The
animal-dressed choruses of the Old Comedy wore masks
who reminded of respective animals or insects.
6. In Aristophanes’ Birds for example, the masks of
the chorus had a beak and a crest. Over time,
special masks were created for the standardised
comic characters, such as the slave, the hetaera,
the young lover and the cook, while the chorus
bears exclusively human masks.
7. The constraction materials of the masks
The masks were made of fabric, which had
been soaked in plaster. The fabric took the
shape of a face in special moulds. Then, a
thin layer of plaster was applied on the
surface of the mask, and the facial
characteristics like, the lips, the eyebrows,
the wrinkles and the complexion were
painted. In the place of the eyes and the
mouth there were openings that allowed
the hypocrites to see and to be heard. The
dominant mask type was the one that
covered the head as a helmet and was
fastened under the chin with leather
stripes. The hair and the beard, made of
wool, were glued on the mask.
