I had known from my secondary source research that Masque performances often reflected the way of life of the political elite. The performances were done for royalty, about royalty, and often times royalty were among the performers. England during the beginning of the 17th century was a time of great reverence for both the country and its leaders. However, in my further research of primary sources I saw that these performances also reflected virtues like femininity, chastity, and self-restraint. The characteristics of purity and innocence seen in female characters reflected the gender stereotypes present in 17th century England which was in direct correlation with Christian virtues.
One of the biggest surprises I had while doing research was the use of blackface as a masque.In plays by Ben Jonson and Richard Brome the actors and performers wore black face paint instead of the typical masques, gloves, and colored tights. These plays typically reflected negative stereotypes associated with black skin. 'Blackness' was seen as inferior to whiteness, and was something to be ashamed of. Blackness was seen as something one would want to get rid of it, as through the removal of a mask. These plays were generally encouraged by the King and Queen, and were a further example of the pride in being English, and thus pride in being white.
In my research for primary sources I found more relevant secondary sources. Since most of the primary source titles I found were through secondary sources, I had to go back through my secondary source research. This allowed me to see and find things I hadn't before, and allowed me to expand my knowledge on Masque performances.
I was interested about your observation that masque performances also reflected political and social dialogue between the crown and people. Along these lines, I am curious if your research mentioned if women were allowed to be performers in masques. Were women the ones feeding the gender stereotype by performing these roles?
ReplyDeleteAs suggested by your post, masque's were primarily performed by and for the royal elite. Were these works ever attributed to a particular author or writer? Also echoing the previous comment, were women allowed to act in the performances?
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that you were able to find your primary sources through your secondary sources! Do you feel that that twofold approach to the genre enhanced your understanding of it?
ReplyDeleteI also appreciated the attention you drew to the use of blackface in masque performances. How do you see this concept relating to modern media?