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Article: Medieval Korean Drama: The Pongsan Mask Dance.
- Article from:
- Comparative Drama
- Article date:
- September 22, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 www.wmich.edu/compdr. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Medieval Korean drama is a composite art that technically dramatizes social ideas, norms, and culture, ingeniously harmonizing Korean customs and its dramatic functions. It is performed by actors who wear various masks, diverse both in function and symbolic value. Masks once employed in primitive society as camouflage for hunting or as magical tools to evoke supernatural power gradually developed into religious masks used for ritual ceremonies and works of art. (1) The ritual masks of Korea, originally used to pray for abundant harvests and to expel evil spirits, slowly evolved into masks used in artistic performances. (2) Such is the case in the transition of the function ...