Journal of Undergraduate Research
Keywords
English courtly masque, theatre, ideals of the court
College
Fine Arts and Communications
Department
Theatre and Media Arts
Abstract
The English courtly masque was an elaborate theatrical form of poetry, dance, music, and scenery that flourished under the reign of the Stuarts, James (1603–1625) and Charles I (1625– 1649). The masque’s spectacle, both highly theatrical and financially extravagant, reflected the magnificence of the king and the ideals of the court. Courtiers and royalty took part on stage as well as in the audience. The masques were also self-reflective; attention moved between the audience and the performers as each watched the other. As masque writer Ben Jonson wrote, masques were “the mirrors of man’s life.” Through the masque’s unique relationship with the court audience, the typical boundaries of theatre (stage and audience, performer and spectator) were broken: all space was a stage; all people in attendance were performers.
Recommended Citation
Jensen, Amy Elizabeth and Jones, Dr. Megan Sanborn
(2014)
"Time Vindicated: Looking Behind the Masque,"
Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2014:
Iss.
1, Article 549.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2014/iss1/549