By covering it up with womanly features of course! To do this, a mask was involved. I decided to take a look into what the mask would need to look like in order for the audience of ancient Greece to think, "Yes. THAT is a woman. I have no doubt at all, whatsoever."
The two main women in the play of Antigone include the character from which the title stems and her sister, Ismene. To quote a PRIMARY DOCUMENT (wink, wink), I found a small description of what kind of mask the actor would need to wear in order to portray these characters, taken from Pollux's description of tragic masks in Onomastikon:
"...the shaven virgin, instead of onkos wears a smooth-combed tate, is shaven almost quite round, and of a color inclinable to paleness...And the other shaven virgin is perfectly like her, but without the tate and curls, as if she had often been in misfortunes." (Ilius Pollux, Onomastikon)
To break it down, the definition of onkos is an exaggerated high peak over the forehead (Oxford Reference Online, Costume) . This is what Antigone and Ismene would NOT have had (assuming they be virgins). The word tate is a word we must make assumptions about, for it is not a word that can be directly translated. The rest can be dissected more easily.
The problem with this description as it relates to Antigone is a matter of time. Antigone was written during the 5th century. The description above is believed to be from the Hellenistic era. What changes may have occurred? Until next time!
"Costume" The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. Ed. Phyllis Hartnoll and Peter Found. Oxford University Press, 1996. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Central Washington University. 28 October 2010
To break it down, the definition of onkos is an exaggerated high peak over the forehead (Oxford Reference Online, Costume) . This is what Antigone and Ismene would NOT have had (assuming they be virgins). The word tate is a word we must make assumptions about, for it is not a word that can be directly translated. The rest can be dissected more easily.
The problem with this description as it relates to Antigone is a matter of time. Antigone was written during the 5th century. The description above is believed to be from the Hellenistic era. What changes may have occurred? Until next time!
Works Cited
Pollux, Ilius. Onomastikon. "Pollux on Scenes, Machines, and Masks." A Source Book in Theatrical History. Ed. A.M. Nagler. Dover Publications, Inc., 1952. 11."Costume" The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. Ed. Phyllis Hartnoll and Peter Found. Oxford University Press, 1996. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Central Washington University. 28 October 2010
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