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9th December To what extent do you agree that the masque is "an integral part of the action of the play?" The Tempest was first performed in 1611, at a time when the concept of the masque was becoming increasingly popular as a multimedia event. It represented a fairly elaborate form of courtly entertainment. The masque was usually performed by people of noble backgrounds and therefore when the performers revealed their true identities to their audience, themselves originally of noble background, the courtiers are meant to be seeing an exact reflection of their own personalities. The masque in the Tempest therefore offers itself as not only being crucial to the action of the play, but also as a symbolic tool of the current politics. However, despite its other uses, on a basic level, and perhaps the only level to some of the least educated of the audience, the masque in the Tempest is...

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