Word Archaeology: antimasque

Also spelled “antemasque”, this is a comic or grotesque dance performed before or between acts of a dramatic composition known as a “masque”. Conceived by English playwright Ben Jonson in the early 17th Century, antimasques featured professional actors. Members of the royal court tended to perform the roles in the primary masque.

by Abraham van Blyenberch, oil on canvas, circa 1617

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Wes Platt

Lead storyteller. Game designer and journalist. Recovering Floridian.

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