An antimasque (also spelled antemasque) is a comic or

grotesque dance Grotesque dance (French: ''danse grotesque''; Italian: ''ballo grottesco'' or ''danza grottesca'') is a category of theatrical dance that became more clearly differentiated in the 18th century and was incorporated into ballet, although it had its r ...

presented before or between the acts of a

masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masque ...

, a type of dramatic composition. The antimasque is a spectacle of disorder which usually starts or precedes the masque itself and was played by professional actors while members of the court primarily performed the roles of the masque. It is characterized by impropriety and is transformed by the masque into goodness, propriety, and order, typically by the King's presence alone. It was also contrasted with the masque by the use of the lower class as characters. This then was supposed to harmonize with the king and the higher class. In later years, the antimasque developed into a

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity o ...

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

. The concept of the antemasque, or anti-masque, was conceived by

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

. Masques originally usually had one antemasque before the main masque, but later it became common to have several antemasques preceding the main masque.Mara R. Wade ''Gender Matters: Discourses of Violence in Early Modern Literature'' 9401210233 - 2013 "This moment, along with the antemasque's inclusion of the marriage god Hymen, recalls Ben Jonson's The Masque of Hymen (1606), in which Juno and eight ladies descend from above. Bianca adopts another common feature of Jonson's ..."

References

Masques {{dance-stub