Both Fred and his father, Richard (1830-1910) rest here and note the broken column on which the Sock and Buskin are placed. The graceful Kitchen memorial was recently restored by the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain & America in March 2016 with the Heritage Lottery Fund’s support. There are two in Brompton Cemetery: Gilbert Laye and Augustus Henry Glossop Harris’s elegant monuments and the exuberant Andrew Ducrow tomb in Kensal Green.įred Karno 1018 – unknown photographer. I have found four monuments featuring Tragedy and Comedy each in differing styles, in London Victorian cemeteries: Fred Kitchen in West Norwood Cemetery with a link to Charlie Chaplin. The exaggerated features of the mask also enabled audience members who were sitting at a distance to see characters emotions. It also allowed him to appear and reappear in several different roles instead of only being seen as one character. The actor would use the mask to totally immerse himself in his role and become someone else. They always created a sense of mystery and were also a method of disguise. Masks created a sense of unity when representing a single character or voice. It was mainly the chorus that used masks on stage of which there could be up to 12-15 members. After the performance they were dedicated at the altar of Dionysus. However none have survived due to the organic materials from which they were created such as stiffened linen, leather or cork with wigs of human and animal hair. There are paintings on vases, such as the 5 th century BC Pronomos vase, depicting actors preparing for performance with masks. The Ancient Greek term for mask is ‘prosopon’ or face. They were seen as one of the iconic conventions of classical Greek theatre and date back to the time of Aeschylus (525-456 BC) commonly considered to be the father of Greek tragedy. Licenced under wikipedia Creative Commons 2.0 Located in Capitoline Museum, Rome, Italy. Tragic Comic masks Hadrian’s Wall mosiac 2nd Century AD. Thalia, Muse of Comedy – Louise-Michel Van Loo (1707-1771) Domain USA Licenced under Wikipedia Creative Commons 2.0Īnd so both Comedy and Tragedy became two sides of the theatre world. It may seem strange but it’s the footwear of the two Muses that led to them being called ‘sock and buskin’. ![]() Thalia wears the thin-soled shoe known as the ‘sock’ from the Latin soccus. She’s generally depicted as a young woman crowned with ivy. She is called Thalia but can also be sometimes spelled as Thaleia and is depicted holding the Mask of Comedy in one hand. Perhaps they had an early version of Up Pompeii…. Greek comedy is reputed to have had a major influence on Roman humour as well. Maybe they were similar to today’s comedy sketches. I imagine that people wanted some relief after a protracted war and these were comic episodes about the lives of ordinary Greek citizens. Licensed under wikipedia Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Īfter the defeat of Athens by the Spartans in the Peleponnesian War and the subsequent decline in its power, comedy became more important than tragedy. Roman statue of Melpomene 2nd century DA – not tragic mask in hand and the wreath of vines and grapes on her head refers to Dionysus, god of theatre. She was a daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne as was Thalia, the Muse of Comedy, and there were also 7 other daughters who were all Muses. She often also holds a knife or club and also wears the ‘cothurni ‘or buskin boots that elevated her above other actors. Melpomene is the Muse and is often depicted holding the Mask of Tragedy. He was known as ‘Father of Tragedy’ and it has been suggested that his name inspired the English term, thespian, for a performer. This genre began in Athens around 532 BC with Thespis, the earliest recorded tragic actor. However, Comedy and Tragedy were viewed as completely separate genres and no plays ever combined them. It was a vital part of Greek culture and civic pride. It began with the custom of actors wearing masks, an essential part of the performance, in early Greek theatre. And as you might expect, when they are there’s a theatrical association.īut what is the history behind this two faced symbol and how did these icons from Ancient Greece come into Victorian cemeteries? The two masks of comedy and tragedy, or Sock and Buskin as they are also known for reasons I’ll explain later, are not often found in cemeteries. Coemdy and Tragedy at the base of the Augustus Henry Glossop Harris monument.
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