ANCIENT ROMAN MASKS

Alex Rock and Jack McCabe

CONTEXT

Tragic masks were sad upset, tired, or scared

Male characters wore brown masks
Masks were based on characters they were
representing but were caricatures of them
Made of papier mch or clay
Masks used in Roman theatre were large and simple

Female characters wore white masks

Very large, exaggerated expressions
Comedic masks were smiling or leering
Used to express simple common emotions, i.e.
happiness and sadness

Rather than a microphone, the masks amplified the

voice of the actor

FUN FACTS
Since masks are forbidden under the Islamic Prohibition of Images, they are
practically unknown to the Muslim world.
Masked actors were never distinguished from their characters to protect the
illusion of the theatre.

WORKS CITED
Alchin, Linda. "Roman Masks." Roman Masks. Siteseen Ltd, 2014. Web. 07 Oct. 2014.
Bradford, Wade. "What You Should Know About the Theatre of Ancient Rome." About.
N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2014. <http://plays.about.com/od/historyofthestage/a/Theater-InAncient-Rome.htm>.
"Costume and Masks." Greektheatre.wordpress.com. N.p., 15 Mar. 2010. Web. 31
Oct. 2014
N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2014.
<http%3A%2F%2Fancientromanarchitecture.weebly.com%2Ftheatre.html>.
"Roman Theatre Masks. Tragic and Grotesque Mask." Costume and Fashion History.
World4.eu, 27 Aug. 2013. Web. 07 Oct. 2014.
"Roman Theatre." Theatre Lit Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2014.
<http%3A%2F%2Ftheatrelitwiki.wikispaces.com%2FRoman%2BTheatre>.
"Theatre of Ancient Rome." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Sept. 2014. Web. 07 Oct.
2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_ancient_Rome>.