Home / Arts & Entertainment

Masks in Their Old and New Roles

By: Ajeet Khurana
Submitted: 2007-10-12 15:48:14
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher |

Rating:

 

Masks are anything but a recent invention. Ancient theatre was greatly dependent on them. The now famous image of two masks, one joyful and the other sorrowful, has links with the drama of the classical Greeks, back in the times of playwrights like Sophocles and Euripides. In those times, masks were used to differentiate the good from the evil, the hero from the villain. However, as time went on, masks became less popular in drama. Later, playwrights such as Brecht and Cocteau did use the mask in their plays. Yet, masks had by now moved away from the world of performances and had begun making its way into ordinary life.

Today, masks are taking on an entirely different character. Nowadays, they are used entirely for entertainment. Birthday parties for young children essentially include a lot of accessories the whistles, the party hats, and the many kinds of masks. And even adults are not left far behind in this new craze for masks. People wear masks at costume parties, particularly around Halloween, and move around pretending to be someone they are not. Masks provide us the opportunity to be somebody else for a while. Even though we are aware that we will have to go back to being ourselves the moment the party is over, there is great joy in being somebody else for a while.

Perhaps that is the reason why Halloween has become one of the most popular events in the calendar year with respect to adults. People today hope to make great impressions at the next Halloween party. As a result, they start planning their gory and gruesome costumes well in advance of Halloween. Costume shops start stocking the outfits from even before that. And which costumes are top of everybody's list? Scary clowns, vampires, and zombies top the list.

Of course, costumes only complete part of the Halloween party picture. One cannot forget about the masks. These days, the emphasis is on finding a realistic Halloween mask -- quite a simple task nowadays. This is because the masks of today make use of substances like silicon. As a result today's silicon Halloween masks are far more realistic. For instance, the zombie Halloween masks that are available these days seem a lot more horrifying. The flesh appears real, and the fake blood looks much less fake. Masks have come a long way since their days on the stage. And these days, they have become a lot more popular.

Be a hit at Halloween parties with silicon Halloween masks and zombie Halloween masks. Nothing goes better than a realistic Halloween mask.

Article source: Expert Articles