Masks in Their Old and New Roles

The masks of today are very different from the ones that adorned ancient drama. However, they are no less popular.

We have had masks for many years now. Ancient theatre was greatly dependent on them. The now famous image of two masks, one joyful and the other sorrowful, are associated with the theatre of the ancient Greeks, back in the times of playwrights like Sophocles and Euripides. In those times, masks were used to differentiate the good from the evil, the hero from the villain. However, as time went on, masks fell into disuse. Later, playwrights such as Brecht and Cocteau tried to make use of theatrical masks. Yet, masks had by now moved away from the world of performances and had begun making its way into ordinary life.

Today, masks have a whole new role to play. Nowadays, they are used entirely for entertainment. Birthday parties for young children have to come with the whistles, the party hats, and the many kinds of masks. And even adults are not left far behind in the case of masks. People wear masks at costume parties, particularly around Halloween, and move around pretending to be someone they are not. Masks provide us the opportunity to wander around without being recognized. Even though we are aware that we will have to go back to being ourselves the moment the party is over, there is great joy in being somebody else for a while.

Perhaps that is the reason why Halloween has become one of the most popular events in the calendar year for adults of all kinds. People today plan in advance to make heads turn at the next Halloween party. As a result, they start planning their gory and gruesome costumes quite a few months in advance. Costume shops start stocking the outfits from even before that. And which costumes are in high demand? Scary clowns, vampires, and zombies top the list.

Of course, costumes only complete part of the Halloween party picture. One cannot forget about the masks. These days, the emphasis is on finding a realistic Halloween mask -- not a difficult task anymore. This is because the masks of today are made of materials like silicon. As a result today's silicon Halloween masks seem a lot more real. For instance, the zombie Halloween masks that are available these days seem to be much scarier. The flesh appears real, and the fake blood looks much less fake. Masks have come a long way since their days on the stage. And these days, they have become a lot more popular.

About the author: Be a hit at Halloween parties with silicon Halloween masks and zombie Halloween masks. Nothing goes better than a realistic Halloween mask.