masque
Tudor theatrical entertainment
A masque is an elaborate courtly entertainment popular in 16th- and 17th-century England, combining poetry, music, dance, and spectacular staging.
Aristocrats often performed alongside professional actors, wearing masks and ornate costumes.
The form reached its height with Ben Jonson's libretti and Inigo Jones's scenic designs.
The court masque celebrated the king's divine right to rule.
Of late 1500s England
- JacobeanPertaining to King James's reign
- ShakespeareElizabethan dramatist and poet
- courtTrial venue or sports surface
- monarchyRule by crowned sovereign
Inigo Jones · aristocracy · patronage · humanism · classicism · courtier · nobility · palace
Carrying out a task
- spectacleVisually striking event
- pageantryElaborate ceremonial display
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
- tableauStriking pictorial arrangement
interlude · pastoral · mythology · panegyric · revels · scenery · costumes · choreography
Act of hiding something
- anonymityUnknown identity state
- incognitoWith identity concealed
- veilFabric that obscures
- facadeDeceptive outward appearance
guise · pretense · deception · subterfuge · secrecy · cloak · impersonation · charade
Spherical plaything or gala
- galaFestive formal occasion
- revelryNoisy, lively celebration
- soireeFormal evening party
- carnivalTraveling amusement attraction
celebration · banquet · fete · merriment · gaiety · entertainment · dance · party
Metered poetic passage
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
- odeLaudatory verse form
- pastoralOf countryside or clergy care
- panegyricElaborate formal tribute speech
Milton · lyric · poetry · symbolism · personification · moral instruction
Elizabethan
Of late 1500s England
- JacobeanPertaining to King James's reign
- ShakespeareElizabethan dramatist and poet
- courtTrial venue or sports surface
Inigo Jones · monarchy · aristocracy · patronage · humanism · classicism · courtier · nobility · palace · regalia
performance
Carrying out a task
- spectacleVisually striking event
- pageantryElaborate ceremonial display
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
tableau · interlude · pastoral · mythology · panegyric · revels · scenery · costumes · choreography · dialogue
concealment
Act of hiding something
facade · guise · pretense · deception · subterfuge · secrecy · cloak · impersonation · charade · hidden identity
ball
Spherical plaything or gala
carnival · celebration · banquet · fete · merriment · gaiety · entertainment · dance · party · jubilee
verse
Metered poetic passage
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
- odeLaudatory verse form
- pastoralOf countryside or clergy care
panegyric · Milton · lyric · poetry · symbolism · personification · moral instruction
venetian
Horizontal slatted window shade
- plague doctorEpidemic-treating masked physician
- harlequinMasked comic servant character
- ballgownFormal full-length dress
feathers · sequins · beads · cape · headdress · tiara · domino · fantasia · carnival
- theatreBroadway, acting, theatre, stage, actor
- Masqueradesfancy dress, costume party, incognito, ball gown, ballgowns
- performancestalent show, dance routine, ballet, comedy act, variety show
- royal courtking, queen, prince, princess, crown
- World Theaterkabuki, Beijing opera, Peking opera, bunraku, Greek tragedy
- operaopera, aria, arias, soprano, tenor
masquestreet theater
Outdoor public dramatization
burlesque · morality play · farce · pantomime · vaudeville
masqueunmasking
Revealing what's hidden
revelation · exposure · disclosure · authenticity · transparency
- masquerade ballFormal dance with disguises
- masquerade maskFestive facial disguise
masquerade, masquerades, masqueraded, masquerading, masqueraders, masques