Psychological Masks
Everyday, people all over the world are scarred emotionally from as harsh as pure hatred to simple teasing. Young children fall victim to schoolyard bullies and adults suffer for their foolish irresponsible mistakes. Nobody, it seems, is safe. So, how do people cope with this mental attack? Role-playing, also know as psychological masks, help a person develop confidence and self-esteem. Role-playing serves as a facade, a falsity so the outside world cannot see the reality that lies underneath. Upon hearing this, one question must be asked. Does the human race really use role-playing to hide their true selves and be accepted into society? The answer to this complex question is explored in Andrew Lloyd Webber's play Phantom of the Opera. It delves into the idea that the human beings wears masks that conform to "society's rules" to hide their actual selves so that they may continue with everyday life devoid of the fear of being judged by their peers. The character used to depict the theme of masks in Andrew Lloyd Webber's play Phantom of the Opera is the Phantom of the Opera himself. Horribly scarred emotionally and physically from an accident in his past, the Phantom sought sanctuary in the deepest depths of the opera house where
Donnally, Chris. Clinical Psychological Treatments. Cleveland: Hannaford Publishers, Upon hearing Christine sing, the Phantom became mesmerized by her angelic voice and distinguished her as perfect person to perform the lead in his masterpiece opera. To train her voice to a performance level, the Phantom took on the role as the Angel of Music, a spirit Christine's father said he would send her when he was in heaven. When a human being adopts a new role or identity, their behaviors may feel spurious at first, but before long, their behavior no longer feels forced (Myers 647). Furthermore, "No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true" (648). Consequently, once a person sustains an identity for long enough, they may not be able to tell the difference between which one is real and which one is false. In some cases, though, a person knows the difference, but they don't want to go back to the person they used to be. They have struggled through life's hardships as a nobody, always thinking that "...it would be better to be a fake somebody, than a real nobody" (Mr. Ripley). After playing the Angel of Music for long enough, the Phantom received enough positive reinforcement (attention and acceptance from Christine) that he adopted this new role mentally. The Phantom did not want to go back to the hobbit-like personality he had adopted from all his years in the sub-levels of the playhouse. He became the Angel of Music. Delusions, a more dramatic psychological mask, impinge on a person's perception of reality. In some cases, people will see things that aren't there, and have false identification of the people around them. In other cases, delusions will h
Some common words found in the essay are:
Angel Music, Soundtrack Delusions, , Christine Deception, Music Phantom, Christine Daae, Phantom Opera, Opera Horribly, Carlotta Christine's, Phantom Soundtrack, angel music, phantom opera, phantom soundtrack, play phantom opera, andrew lloyd webber's, webber's play, outside world, psychological masks, andrew lloyd, music phantom, human wears, lloyd webber's play, webber's play phantom, play phantom, role angel music,
Approximate Word count = 1226
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
