The Masks of Menander

Sign and Meaning in Greek and Roman Performance
Erscheinungsjahr 1991
ISBN: 978-0-521-40135-7
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 287 Seiten, Format (B × H): 159 mm x 237 mm, Gewicht: 618 g

This book provides a detailed analysis of the conventions and techniques of performance characteristic of the Greek theatre of Menander and the subsequent Roman theatre of Plautus and Terence. Drawing on literary and archaeological sources, and on scientific treatises, David Wiles identifies the mask as crucial to the actor's art, and shows how sophisticated the art of the mask-maker became. He also examines the other main elements which the audience learned to decode: costume, voice, movement, etc. In order to identify features that were unique to Hellenistic theatre he contrasts Greek New Comedy with other traditions of masked comedy, and shows how different Roman conventions of performance rest upon different underlying assumptions about religion, marriage and class. David Wiles offers theatre historians and classicists a radical new approach to reading play texts. His book will also be useful to archaeologists seeking to understand what masks mean and how Greek and Roman theatres were used.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Wiles, David

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of illustrations; Abbreviations etc.; Preface; 1. Text and performance; 2. Space; 3. The system of masks; 4. Masks East and West: contrasts and comparisons; 5. The Roman mask 6. The four mask genera; 7. Costume and movement; 8. Language and voice; Bibliography; Index.