Introduction
Shakespeare once said that “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players’ ‘ (Shakespeare 662). It is impossible to reject it as life is complicated and people usually have to play different roles in order to survive. Moreover, different social positions also make people play the role of a student, a role of a son or a daughter, a role of a brother or a sister, and other roles which are dictated to us by the modern world. Masquerade is a place where people can wear masks, drop their everyday roles and be themselves, as wearing a mask, people usually behave more naturally, they have an opportunity to be real and free from roles imposed on them.
The Notion of Disguise With Advantages and Disadvantages
Masquerade is an ideal place to forget about everyday problems and relax. It is people’s essence that they always want to look better or absolutely differently from who they are in reality. Disguise allows people to drop all prejudice and inconvenience; they can show their real faces, no matter how funny it sounds. People just enjoy that they can be themselves without being afraid of reproaches and mockery.
Still, such transformation can have both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is that people show their real faces, they appear more natural when they wear masks. Talking to friends, disguised people consciously feel free and it is the main advantage that may be imagined. Throwing off the life masks while wearing fancy dresses, people are free from social pressure and roles which are usually imposed on them in everyday life. People are usually afraid of revealing their feelings. Being in the mask is a great opportunity for them to show their inner world.
Playing different roles, people may forget who they are in reality. In fact, disguise may lead to complete transformation of a person. This is great if a person is kind and tender. In this case, people should just be happy that they managed to refuse from imposed roles and become natural. Otherwise, when a person chooses wrong or evil mask and likes it, he/she may remain in such appearance forever. The world is cruel and merciless, so when people see it they want to become the same in order to overcome it and remain a winner. So, disguise may be considered both as the deliverance from pressure and as the appearance in the new alien mask that is improper for a person’s identity.
Personal Disguise Experience
It is impossible to imagine a student who has never visited masquerades. Turning to my personal experience it should be noted that being disguised I feel better. Considering the information mentioned above, it may be stated that something like that happens to me when I wear a mask.
It was a masquerade party and all people wore masks. It was so great as people were free from their everyday roles and responsibilities. We had an opportunity to communicate on different topics and do everything we wanted. We danced how we liked, not as it was accepted in the world. Games were very funny and people were not afraid of revealing themselves. It was great to see free and uninhibited people near you.
Still, the first hour of the masquerade party was unusual as people did not get used to their new roles. People were rather restricted as they remained in their everyday roles, but after some time passed it appeared that people became easier to intercommunicate easier. Absolutely strange people came and communicated as if they knew each other for ages. People had an opportunity to present in the new roles which, in fact, were their real faces. The situation reminded me of a quote form Morris’ Conundrum, “I invite my women readers to imagine how they would themselves have felt if, successfully disguised as a young man, they had been admitted to this closed and idiosyncratic male society in their late teens” (Morris 31). Appearing disguised in the strange world, people try to see aspects which were hidden from them before. The same happened to us. Being in masks, we tried to look in the strange world that was unfamiliar for us before and enjoy it till the time when all masks are thrown off and people have to act their common social roles till the next opportunity for revealing.
Conclusion
To sum it up it should be mentioned that disguise gives people an opportunity to reveal their feelings and real faces. Masquerade is a perfect place where feelings and emotions are not hidden and people are free to behave as they want to. Everyday problems, roles that people choose themselves and that are imposed on them by society may be easily forgotten when a mask is worn. Concluding from my personal experience it may be noted that freedom is possible when people hide their faces and show feelings. Still, in everyday life people usually hide their emotions and appear in masks they used to live in.
Works Cited
Morris, Jan. Conundrum. New York: New York Review Books, 2006. Print.
Shakespeare, William. Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions, 2007. Print.