Comedy Tragedy Masks Symbolism / Drama
Masks Folklore
Over twenty-five hundred years ago, two thousand years before Shakespeare,
Western theatre was born in Athens, Greece. Between 600 and 200 BC, the
ancient Athenians created a theatre. The two masks are the symbols for Theatre.
They are the comedy and tragedy masks that were worn in ancient Greece during
the golden age, around 500 - 300 BC. The golden age was the first time that
plays were written and performed. Plays were written in honor of the god
Dionysus, the god of fertility and procreation, and were either Comedies
or Tragedies. All the actors were male, and they all played multiple roles,
so a mask was used to show the change in character or mood. The traditional
"Comedy Tragedy" masks are used now as a universal symbol for
drama, and also represent the two sides of Dionysus, as well as the two
effects of wine: joyous, Bacchic revelry, and a dark, sorrowful harvest.
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