The Masks of Menander Sign and Meaning in Greek and Roman Performance

techniques of performance characteristic of the Greek theatre of
Menander and the subsequent Roman theatre of Plautus and Terence.
Drawing on literary and archaeological sources, and on scientific
treatises, David Wiles identifies the mask as crucial to the actor's
art, and shows how sophisticated the art of the mask-maker became. He
also examines the other main elements which the audience learned to
decode: costume, voice, movement, etc. In order to identify features
that were unique to Hellenistic theatre he contrasts Greek New Comedy
with other traditions of masked comedy, and shows how different Roman
conventions of performance rest upon different underlying assumptions
about religion, marriage and class. David Wiles offers theatre
historians and classicists a radical new approach to reading play texts.
His book will also be useful to archaeologists seeking to understand
what masks mean and how Greek and Roman theatres were used.

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• Radical new approach to reading play texts
  
• Explains the significance of masks
  
• Contrasts the different conventions between Greek and Roman theatre