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The Truth of Masks
In many of the somewhat violent attacks that have recently been made on that splendour of mounting which now characterises our Shakespearian revivals in England, it seems to have been tacitly assumed by the critics that Shakespeare himself was more or less indifferent to the costumes of his actors, and that, could he see Mrs. Langtry's production of Antony and Cleopatra, he would probably say that the play, and the play only, is the thing, and that everything else is leather and prunella. While, as regards any historical accuracy in dress, Lord Lytton, in an article in the Nineteenth Century, has laid it down as a dogma of art that archaeology is entirely out of place in the presentation of any of Shakespeare's plays, and the attempt to introduce it one of the stupidest pedantries of an age of prigs. Lord Lytton's position I shall examine later on; but, as regards the theory that Shakespeare did not busy himself much about the costume-wardrobe of his theatre, anybody who cares to study Shakespeare's method will see that there is absolutely no dramatist of the French, English, or Athenian stage who relies so much for his illusionist effects on the dress of his actors as Shakespeare does himself. Knowing how the artistic temperament is always fascinated by beauty of costume, he constantly introduces into his plays masques and dances, purely for the sake of the pleasure which they give the eye.
40 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1886
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About the author
Oscar Wilde
5,444Ìýbooks37.5kÌýfollowersOscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is best remembered for his epigrams and plays, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and his criminal conviction for gross indecency for homosexual acts.
Wilde's parents were Anglo-Irish intellectuals in Dublin. In his youth, Wilde learned to speak fluent French and German. At university, he read Greats; he demonstrated himself to be an exceptional classicist, first at Trinity College Dublin, then at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with the emerging philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles.
Wilde tried his hand at various literary activities: he wrote a play, published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada on "The English Renaissance" in art and interior decoration, and then returned to London where he lectured on his American travels and wrote reviews for various periodicals. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill, Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into what would be his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). Wilde returned to drama, writing Salome (1891) in French while in Paris, but it was refused a licence for England due to an absolute prohibition on the portrayal of Biblical subjects on the English stage. Undiscouraged, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late-Victorian London.
At the height of his fame and success, while An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) were still being performed in London, Wilde issued a civil writ against John Sholto Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry for criminal libel. The Marquess was the father of Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. The libel hearings unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and criminal prosecution for gross indecency with other males. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and so a retrial was ordered. In the second trial Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years' hard labour, the maximum penalty, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. During his last year in prison he wrote De Profundis (published posthumously in abridged form in 1905), a long letter that discusses his spiritual journey through his trials and is a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. On the day of his release, he caught the overnight steamer to France, never to return to Britain or Ireland. In France and Italy, he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life.
Wilde's parents were Anglo-Irish intellectuals in Dublin. In his youth, Wilde learned to speak fluent French and German. At university, he read Greats; he demonstrated himself to be an exceptional classicist, first at Trinity College Dublin, then at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with the emerging philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles.
Wilde tried his hand at various literary activities: he wrote a play, published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada on "The English Renaissance" in art and interior decoration, and then returned to London where he lectured on his American travels and wrote reviews for various periodicals. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill, Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into what would be his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). Wilde returned to drama, writing Salome (1891) in French while in Paris, but it was refused a licence for England due to an absolute prohibition on the portrayal of Biblical subjects on the English stage. Undiscouraged, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late-Victorian London.
At the height of his fame and success, while An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) were still being performed in London, Wilde issued a civil writ against John Sholto Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry for criminal libel. The Marquess was the father of Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. The libel hearings unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and criminal prosecution for gross indecency with other males. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and so a retrial was ordered. In the second trial Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years' hard labour, the maximum penalty, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. During his last year in prison he wrote De Profundis (published posthumously in abridged form in 1905), a long letter that discusses his spiritual journey through his trials and is a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. On the day of his release, he caught the overnight steamer to France, never to return to Britain or Ireland. In France and Italy, he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 31, 2019
Oh, Oscar, my darling child. I wouldn't be the same without your snarky witticisms. I love you and I love your essays oh so very much. The Truth on Masks is Oscar's take on why costumes matter in stage adaptations, he illustrates his point by using Shakespeare's work. Shakespeare not only appreciated the look of lovely costumes in adding picturesqueness to poetry, but he saw how important costume is as a means of producing certain dramatic effects.
I think the reason why I enjoyed Oscar's essay so much is the fact that it enabled me to geek out completely, like, you don't know how proud I was of myself for getting all of those Shakespeare references, and knowing most of the plays and scenes that Oscar used for illustrating his point.
But as in all of Oscar's work, he never misses the opportunity to share his take on Art and its use and function in general (spoiler: there is none, form and beauty is its highest aim). Oscar says that, of course, the public doesn't notice these little details in regards to costume choices, however, "it should be remembered that Art has no other aim but her own perfection." But even Oscar has to admit that Shakespeare's plays, especially his histories in regards to the Civil Wars of the Roses, can have an educational function, as they're somewhat historically accurate and far more enjoyable than "shilling primers". ‘The historical plays teach history to those who cannot read it in the chronicles,� says Heywood, one of the Bard's contemporaries, in a tract about the stage.
Oscar also off-handedly mentions that the Globe Theatre burned down (an event that has unfortunately robbed us of many important documents in regards to Shakespeare's stage-management), and I didn't even know this. Why did I not know this? Now, I'm sad.
In conclusion, Oscars says that costumes are important and should be chosen carefully ("And there should be far more dress rehearsals than there are now." LMAO): "And if critics will not encourage, at least they must not oppose, a movement of which Shakespeare of all dramatists would have most approved, for it has the illusion of truth for its method, and the illusion of beauty for its result." Well said, hun, well said!
Better to take pleasure in a rose than to put its root under a microscope.Many of his plays, such as Measure for Measure, Twelfth Night, The Two Gentleman of Verona, All's Well That Ends Well, Cymbeline, and others, depend for their illusion on the character of the various dresses worn by the hero or the heroine; the delightful scene in Henry the Sixth, on the modern miracles of healing by faith, loses all its point unless Gloster is in black and scarlet; and the dénoûment of the Merry Wives of Windsor hinges on the colour of Anne Page's gown. As for the uses Shakespeare makes of disguises the instances are almost numberless. The children who play at fairies in Windsor Forest are to be dressed in white and green—a compliment, by the way, to Queen Elizabeth, whose favourite colours they were.
I think the reason why I enjoyed Oscar's essay so much is the fact that it enabled me to geek out completely, like, you don't know how proud I was of myself for getting all of those Shakespeare references, and knowing most of the plays and scenes that Oscar used for illustrating his point.
But as in all of Oscar's work, he never misses the opportunity to share his take on Art and its use and function in general (spoiler: there is none, form and beauty is its highest aim). Oscar says that, of course, the public doesn't notice these little details in regards to costume choices, however, "it should be remembered that Art has no other aim but her own perfection." But even Oscar has to admit that Shakespeare's plays, especially his histories in regards to the Civil Wars of the Roses, can have an educational function, as they're somewhat historically accurate and far more enjoyable than "shilling primers". ‘The historical plays teach history to those who cannot read it in the chronicles,� says Heywood, one of the Bard's contemporaries, in a tract about the stage.
Oscar also off-handedly mentions that the Globe Theatre burned down (an event that has unfortunately robbed us of many important documents in regards to Shakespeare's stage-management), and I didn't even know this. Why did I not know this? Now, I'm sad.
In conclusion, Oscars says that costumes are important and should be chosen carefully ("And there should be far more dress rehearsals than there are now." LMAO): "And if critics will not encourage, at least they must not oppose, a movement of which Shakespeare of all dramatists would have most approved, for it has the illusion of truth for its method, and the illusion of beauty for its result." Well said, hun, well said!
Not that I agree with everything that I have said in this essay. There is much with which I entirely disagree. The essay simply represents an artistic standpoint, and in aesthetic criticism attitude is everything. For in art there is no such thing as a universal truth.
February 3, 2021
Ah, the truth of masks? Wilde writes, "...costume is a means of displaying character without description..." Thus, there is no need for a voice-over when a character, for example, makes an entrance heavily jeweled from the waist up but with shoes worn and dirty: we automatically see a person trying to look rich, but in reality is having problems paying all his/her bills. Today when one sees a person wearing/not wearing a Covid mask, most people do define that person in some way. One might think, "I do notice that person is/isn't wearing a mask, but I have no idea what goes on in other people's mind, maybe they just left it at home this one time or maybe they feel it is much to uncomfortable to wear." (My view.) Or, "that person isn't wearing a mask perhaps because she/he has a strong conviction in freedom of speech." Or, "that person is wearing a mask because they believe it reduces risk of Covid infection." Or, at worst [because Covid/any illness shouldn't be a political issue], "that guy must be a republican because he isn't wearing a mask, but that gal must be a democrat because she is wearing a mask." I'm seeing people making lemonade out of the Covid/lemon and designing masks as a personal fashion accessory. And I'm absolutely sure Wilde and Shakespeare would have loved Lady Gaga's stage mask which lighted/blinked in sync with her voice/song during an award performance (I think the recent VMAs). Does Wilde succeed in telling us the truths of masks? One thing is for sure: we do interpret costumes/masks in a certain way, whether that person is on a stage or walking down a street. What's the saying: "A suit makes a man"? And even though, like I said, I don't know what other people are really thinking, I do Mask Up, as I have severe asthma/allergies and live in a highly congested area. Besides, Lady Gaga told me too during her stage show. (Hey, that horned guy is using "Trump told me too" as his defense for storming the US Capital but I think Gaga's message is more rational.) One more thing: a mask takes 5 seconds to put on, a condom maybe 30 seconds. And condom use certainly reduces STDs and unwanted pregnancies. If you've read this far, I do agree with Wilde that masks/costumes are vitally important to art, and to the art of living.
February 14, 2022
Brutal ensayo de Oscar Wilde!!! Como dijo VÃctor Hugo: En la obra primero el hombre, después todo lo demás. En lo personal me gusta que todo esté bien combinado.
July 29, 2020
Interesting but....
Interesting but not what I was expecting or hoping for. It might be of more interest to anyone studying Shakespeare. I thought that it might be more psychological in nature. I was lead to this assumption by an Oscar Wilde quote: Give a man a mask and he'll tell you the truth. I thought it might be an essay on those illusions (masks) that many use on a daily basis in order to get through life or commit acts of deception.
Interesting but not what I was expecting or hoping for. It might be of more interest to anyone studying Shakespeare. I thought that it might be more psychological in nature. I was lead to this assumption by an Oscar Wilde quote: Give a man a mask and he'll tell you the truth. I thought it might be an essay on those illusions (masks) that many use on a daily basis in order to get through life or commit acts of deception.
Read
August 28, 2015Started reading this but quit. The subject didn't interest me at all. Wilde talked mostly about costumes and their worth in plays, think Shakespearian. I did not really get the point of what Wilde was trying to put across.
June 1, 2021
Why did I even bother?
November 12, 2022
Wilde was exhibiting his extensive knowledge of Shakespeare and his plays, while stressing the importance of costumes. Pleasant to read, although not extremely extraordinary.
January 12, 2024
An incredibly thorough analysis of Shakespearian costuming through the lens of a comedic Wilde!
August 11, 2023
oscar wilde hubiera odiado bridgerton. oscar wilde es de los tuyos @paula
February 4, 2021
For in art there is no such thing as a universal truth. A Truth in art is that whose contradictory is also true.
- Oscar Wilde
In this essay, by drawing many pertinent examples, Oscar Wilde answers the critics and refutes their claim that Shakespeare did not give much importance to the accuracy of the costumes in his plays.
Enjoyable read. Short and to the point, even if Oscar Wilde himself says 'Not that I agree with everything I have said in this essay. There is much with which I entirely disagree. The essay simply represents an artistic standpoint, and in aesthetic criticism attitude is everything.'
So, in the end, what does the essay's author true feelings about the issue he himself raised?
It doesn't matter, really, so long as there is consistency.
- Oscar Wilde
In this essay, by drawing many pertinent examples, Oscar Wilde answers the critics and refutes their claim that Shakespeare did not give much importance to the accuracy of the costumes in his plays.
Enjoyable read. Short and to the point, even if Oscar Wilde himself says 'Not that I agree with everything I have said in this essay. There is much with which I entirely disagree. The essay simply represents an artistic standpoint, and in aesthetic criticism attitude is everything.'
So, in the end, what does the essay's author true feelings about the issue he himself raised?
It doesn't matter, really, so long as there is consistency.
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