Masking the Effect

In addition to understanding Aristotle's theories about tragedies and performing sections of chorus from Oedipus, we were assigned with the task of creating a mask for a specific character and scene in the tragedy. I opted for the scene in which Oedipus discovers that he is in fact King Laius' murderer and must deal with the situation that he himself is the criminal that he has been searching for. As I began to design my mask, I didn't actually put much thought into each specific element and its relevance to Greek theatre. Rather, I tried to fit the design of my mask into the character and the scene that I was portraying. As a result, my mask didn't quite follow the guidelines of a mask utilized in Greek theatre but seemed to maybe have a more modern take on the idea of a Greek mask.

My mask contained an expression of being surprised and distraught. I illustrated this emotion with furrowed eyebrows as I imagine Oedipus to be surprised and confused upon hearing that he is in fact the criminal that he has been searching for. I also included wrinkles on the forehead of the mask to show this emotion of being distraught. In addition to this, I added a mustache for I imagine most kings and dignified figures of the past to have this thick, dark mustache. I noticed that numerous other masks of Oedipus included a crown for the audience to easily distinguish this character as being Oedipus, King of Thebes. My one criticism for the mask was the feasibility of the mask during the actual performance. Because Oedipus has this realization midway through the performance, there wouldn't be a logical way to change masks without the actor breaking character. As a result of this, I realized that my decisions need not be for aesthetic purposes but for feasible purposes so that it can be utilized during a performance if need be.