THE MASK OF THE WITCH: FROM RITUAL TO CARNIVAL AND THEATRE
THE MASK OF THE WITCH: FROM RITUAL TO CARNIVAL AND THEATRE

Summary/Abstract: This paper tries to approach a problem of great interest for theatrical anthropology: the mask of the witch, raising some questions concerning its origin and antiquity. In order to propose some possible answers, the paper briefly re-examines Carlo Ginzburg’s view on witchcraft in Ecstasies. Deciphering the Witches’ Sabbath (Storia notturna), with emphasis on some elements that are still useful, in spite of the criticism this seminal book provoked. Then, some occurrences of witch masks in carnival processions are discussed, with regard to Latin or Germanic cultures. The subsequent question is: are these masks old ones, with a long evolution and permanent changes in form and signification, or – at the opposite – are they recent, appearing in carnivals only after the end of the witch-craze, in the 18th century? The article ends with some examples of witch masks used in theatre (Shakespeare – Ion Sava, Court Ballets): their carnivalesque origins – more recent or more ancient – are underlined.

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