Anti-masque

An antimasque (also spelled antemasque) is a comic or grotesque dance presented before or between the acts of a masque, a type of dramatic composition.[1] The antimasque is a spectacle of disorder which usually starts or precedes the masque itself and was played by professional actors while members of the court primarily performed the roles of the masque.[2] It is characterized by impropriety and is transformed by the masque into goodness, propriety, and order, typically by the King's presence alone.[3] It was also contrasted with the masque by the use of the lower class as characters.[4] This then was supposed to harmonize with the king and the higher class. In later years, the antimasque developed into a farce or pantomime.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Collins English Dictionary (Digital ed.). William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  2. ↑ Best, Michael. "The antimasque". Shakespeare's Life and Times. University of Victoria. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Astington, John (1999). English Court Theatre 1558 -1642. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-64065-2. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  4. 1 2 "masque (entertainment)". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 12 August 2014.


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