The Elizabethan Masque

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The Elizabethan Masque Firstly let me start by telling you what a masque is, a masque is an extravagant and dramatic form of entertainment, which was performed before, after and during the interludes of plays. Basically, it was a sort of 16th century half-time entertainment for playgoers. Masques incorporated music, dance, poetry and drama into a short and precise piece of entertainment. The staging for the masques was considered very important. There were often lavish sets built by famous architects such as Inigo Jones, which even had mechanical devices to create thunder and lightening effects. Often expensive items of furniture and paintings were borrowed to embellish the scenery, with some accounts referring to gilded chariots and working fountains beings used. By far one of the most distinctive features of masques was the fact that upper-class women could perform on stage alongside men. The mother of Queen Elizabeth even performed in some masques. This is significant, as women were not allowed to perform in the plays of the period. The first recorded appearance of a woman performing was Anne Boleyn in 1522, but it is widely believed many more women performed before this time as the masks that the actors needed to wear would of hidden their gender. The actors’ costumes were just as lavishing as the sets. No expense was spared when designing the costumes, and the fabrics and materials used were of the up most quality. The costumes often depicted Greek Gods, fairies and mythical creatures. Elaborate make-up was also applied to the actors faces, however instead of the fashionable white make-up used by women of the period, a coarse black make-up was used which provided contrast and emphasized the masks the actors would
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