Sudhashree Acharya
PG Student, Department of English, Bhatter College, Dantan, West Bengal
Email: sudhashreeacharya39912@gmail.com
Abstract
Although the use of medical masks has gained its zenith during the Corona infected pandemic phase, the theatrical use of masks existed long before that across various performative cultures and theatrical practices around the globe. Looking at the Western performative tradition, we can presume that the Greeks were one of the earliest people to use masks in order to perform different roles in different types of plays, whether it’s a tragedy, or a comedy or a satyr play. India too has several forms of masked dances and the tradition goes back even longer than that. The Indian state of West Bengal also has a unique form of masked performance called the Chhau dance in the district of Purulia. This paper will focus on a comparative estimate of the use of masks in the Greek theatre and in the Chhua dance of Bengal.
Keywords: Mask, Performance, Covid, Medical Mask, Greek Theatre, Chhau Dance of Bengal
Introduction
Although the use of medical masks has gained its zenith during the Corona infected pandemic phase, the theatrical use of masks existed long before that across various performative cultures and theatrical practices around the globe. Theatre is a wonderful medium where both the performers and the audience could communicate with one another. The actors perform various roles with the help of many theatrical tools like costumes, masks, wigs and so on. Mask is one of the most essential devices in a theatrical culture which allows actors to perform different roles.
Looking at the Western performative tradition, we can presume that the Greeks were one of the earliest people to use masks in order to perform different roles in different types of plays, whether it’s a tragedy, or a comedy or a satyr play. India too has several forms of masked dances and the tradition goes back even longer than that. The Indian state of West Bengal also has a unique form of masked performance called the Chhau dance in the district of Purulia. Without masks, Chhau dance cannot stand, although over the years the shape and size of the Chhau mask have been modified thoroughly.
This theatrical/ performative trend is quite obvious not only in Greece but also in the Eastern part of India. The Chhau dance is one of the most popular performances in the Indian state of West Bengal.
The Use of Mask in Greek Theatre
Masks had been one of the most essential performative aids in ancient Greek threatre. During the classical period, ancient Greeks used the word ‘prosopon’ for both the mask and the face. But it is during the second half of the 4th century BC, the meaning of ‘prosopeion’ shifted from the ‘face’ and gradually became more associated with the ‘mask’. The ritualistic origin of the Greek theatre shows that mask was extensively used in the festival of revelry associated with Dionysius, the god of wine and fertility.
Ancient Greeks used to worship Dionysius by performing many rituals and sacrificing goats during the ritualistic carnival. As part of this ritual, the participants sacrificed the goats in front of the altar of Dionysius with ecstatic dance and with the help of several instrumental sound effects. The participants wore various kinds of wooden masks to make the performance more interesting and eloquent. The use of masks in Greek performances was so pervasive that even Aristotle has referred to this practice in his classic, Poetics;
“To take an obvious example, the comic mask is ugly and distorted, but does not imply pain…. Comedy had already taken definite shape when comic poets, distinctively so called, are heard of. Who furnished it with masks, or prologues, or the number of actors, – these and other similar details remain unknown” (Aristotle, Ch. V, 21).
The mask transformed the players into the character they were playing. In other words, the masks help the players to relate themselves to the characters and hence the audience find the performance more to be more realistic.
There was a practice in the Greek theatrical convention that the winning actors had to dedicate their masks to Dionysius. After the performance, the actors did not destroy or throw away their masks, rather they kept the undamaged masks safe for the next performance. An individual performer had to use many masks during the performance to illustrate the change of emotions of the character throughout the performance. For example, the mask reflecting anger would necessarily be different from the mask reflecting dilemma or pain. The changing of the masks in such cases portrayed the real situation in an exact way.
Though there is not a single piece of mask survived to this day from ancient times, the source information of the masks came to us from the images of theatrical masks painted on certain ceramics and marble reliefs. Pollux’s Onomasticon, an encyclopedia written during the Roman Ear and Suida’s Lexicon, a 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia are the two major sources from which the information about ancient masks was derived. According to these sources, during this time the masks were made of linen clothes dipped in plaster and then the makers gave them their shape with glue, knife and colour.
The masks of 5th and 4th Century BC were almost the same in size as the human head so that they could cover the entire head and fit perfectly. These masks had small holes for eyes and mouths. The hair of the masks was made of linen or animal or human hair. The masks of the chorus of tragedies and satyr plays had almost the same appearance. The mask of satyr plays had flat noses, horses’ ears and the colour of the faces were red. While the masks used in comedies were grotesque caricatures of having images of animals, the tragic masks were almost gloomy with wide mouths for giving the actor a clear outlet for his voice. The most important feature of the tragic masks was the onkos.
According to many sources, there were two types of masks in ancient Greek drama. The Comic masks and the Tragic masks. The Comedy masks were known as Thalia and Tragedy masks were known as Melpomene. Many scholars argued that the shape of the masks could amplify the actor’s voice like a megaphone so that the audience could hear the words spoken by the actors clearly. But most of the experts denied this fact and stated that the masks did not amplify the actors’ voice rather changed the original voice.
The Use of Mask in Chhau Dance of Bengal
Chhau, a semi-classical, martial dance art form is one of the most popular folk performances of Bengal. It derives its plot from various Hindu epics and mythological stories like The Ramayana, The Mahabharata and Puranas. It is mainly celebrated during the ‘Sun Festival’ and ‘Charitra Parav’ in the Chaitra month of Hindu calendar.
According to some critics, the word ‘Chhau’ is taken from the Sanskrit word ‘Chhaya’ which means ‘Shadow’ or ‘Image’. Other critics opine that ‘Chhau’ is a dialect that consists of six faces- forehead, eyes, nose, cheeks, lips and chin. There are three variations of Chhau: Purulia Chhau of Bengal, Seraikella Chhau of Jharkhand and the Mayurbhanj Chhau of Odisha. Along with the other instruments or elements like Khol, Dhamsa and Madol, it is performed with extensive use of face masks. Mask is one of the most important elements in his performance. But the Mayurbhanj Chhau is performed without masks. The Seraikella Chhau is performed with symbolic masks and the Purulia Chhau is performed with extensive masks.
The masks are usually made of paper pulp and clay with decorative loud colours using feathers of peacock and pigeon etc. The chief emotions of the actors are performed through postures, movements and body language. The different types of masks used for the Chhau performance are the mask of a swan with a long beak, and the mask of Devi Durga with three eyes and the mask of peacock with a long blue neck and feathers.
Now talking about Purulia Chhau masks we have seen that they are more realistic than the Seraikella Chhau masks. In Purulia Chhau, the use of colour of the masks played a crucial role. While the masks of gods and goddesses are coloured with yellow and orange, the masks of the demons are of red or green colours. Purulia masks were heavy in weight.
Historically this making of the Purulia Chhau mask dates back to the rule of King Madan Mohan Singh Deo in Baghmundi, Purulia. Nowadays younger artists are also engaged in this process. The masks are chiefly handmade. Mask makers showed their talent and skill in the variety of making them. They learn the making process generation wise.
A Comparative Estimate of the Greek Theatre and the Chhau Dance of Bengal
The most important prop in both the performances is the mask. The masks of the Greek performance were ‘portrait masks’ as they portrayed certain particular characters. The comedy masks had exaggerated features like long beards, baldness, ugly noses etc. They were made from perishable material and every character has their own individual mask. One can grasp the emotion of the characters through the use of the mask as the masks were highly personalized. Similarly in Chhau Dance, each and every character has its own individual or personalized mask. They are painted with rich vibrant colours reflecting certain particular moods.
In Greek Theatre, different masks were used for different situations of a character. The versatility of the actor was dependent on the changing of masks and it allowed an actor to switch different roles. This is also evident in Chhau performance. The mask of Lord Shiva and the Mask of Lord Shiva’s Ardhanariswara are totally different. The half male and half female parts are shown in a single mask by dividing in the middle and half part has male features while the other part has female features.
The interesting factor about both the Chhau Dance and the Greek performances is that women generally didn’t participate in these performances. The male actors had to play the female roles and the mask helped them to sink deep in the character. According to Rajkumar Suvendra, a Chhau performer:
“When I put on the mask I become impersonal. It is easier to slip into the body of another character. It passes its function to the body. Expression does not follow from my face to my body, but it is transmitted from my body to my face” (qtd. in Nilakantan 3).
Conclusion:
In conclusion we can say that masks, as we have seen in both the cultures (Greece and Bengal) are used as an integral part in the domain of theatrical performance. Whether decorative or functional it aids and adds dimension to performative aesthetics.
Works Cited
Ashok, Padmaja. A Companion to Literary Forms. Hyderabad: Orient Black Swan, 2015.
Aristotle. Poetics. Trans. S.H. Butcher, London: MacMillan & Co. Ltd., 1922.
Basu, B and Ms. Laboni Banerjee. “The Chhaw Dance of Bengal.” International Journal on
Textile Engineering and Processes, vol. 4, no. 3, July 2018.
Chatterjee, Deepsikha. “Masks and Costumes of Purulia Chhau.” Asian Theatre Journal, vol. 36,
- 1, 2019, pp. 221-238.
Nilakantan, Gouri. “A Comparative Study of Chhau Masks of Eastern India and Ancient Greek
Masks.” Stage Buzz, 6 January, 2019.
Wiles, David. Mask and Performance in Greek Tragedy: From Ancient Festival to Modern
Experimentation. Cambridge University Press, 2007.
[Volume 4, Number 1, 2021]