Elliot Nielson March 8, 2012 Writing 2010

What is the History of Mime? Websters Dictionary defines mime as: The art or technique of portraying a character, mood, idea, or narration by gestures and body movements (834). The average person knows them as creepy street performers who get trapped in invisible boxes, but in reality theyre much more sophisticated than that. Their name comes from the word mimicry, and their art form goes as far back as ancient Rome. They have remained throughout history as an ostracized group, but in fact have made an art out of storytelling through motion. The famed Charlie Chaplin was a mime, and technically all of the early silent movie stars practiced miming. First off, some clarification is in order. Mime as defined above, generally consists of acting out everyday actions: walking, weeping, etc. In contrast, pantomime is the art of pretending that objects exist in the air, and implying their existence and qualities to the audience, like a terrifying glass box, or a strong wind (Kiko the Mime). Professional mimes today, such as street performers or dancers, do both miming and pantomiming. Ancient Romans and Greeks have some of the first records of mimes, although many believe that every culture has used some form of mime to narrate stories (Lust). The first recorded incident of mime happened in 467 B.C.E, in Greece, by the dancer Telestes. While he was singing with his troupe on a stage, he became so caught up in the song that he ran out to the middle of the stage and began acting out the lyrics. This unexpected, and slightly rude, interruption of routine sparked the beginning of a new art form in Greece and later Rome (Lust).

The records of how the audience reacted are lost, but the general success and continuation of mime must mean it was somewhat successful. Many troupes of mime actors began to form, where they would eventually make use of plots, character development, props, and dialogue. Dialogue may surprise some, because mimes dont talk. However, that characteristic, which seems so essential today, didnt occur until much later. Miming was considered a skill to be used in conjunction with other acting techniques. A Roman actor would have been able to sing, dance, play music, talk, pantomime and improvise to entertain their audience. Miming had to become exciting and complex in order to entertain the highly animalistic Romans. The art of miming evolved in Roman culture to include mostly pantomime and improvisation, along with acrobatic feats, which is quite similar to how it is today (Lust). The content of the theatre, however, was quite different from how it is today. Instead of being mostly comical, it was often a way to portray tragic plays and events. Other troupes would act out scenes with love, adultery, seduction, and general R rated content (Lust). One of the strangest examples of mime in Rome happened at funerals, where mimes would mock the recently deceased. Records show that the mimes would observe the person before their death, and get to know their intricacies and mannerisms, so that when they died, they could mock the particular habits (Slater 559). The mime would dress in the uniform representing the highest office the dead had held, such as an officer or a senator. Sometimes masks would be fashioned for the mimes that accurately depicted the deceased (Slater 563). Yet this wasnt considered rude or offensive; in fact, it was traditional (Slater 565). The mimes would be lighthearted and joke, making audience members laugh and remember the

deceased fondly. The mimes would also evoke feelings of sadness and loss, bringing together the full range of emotions felt at funerals today. After the Roman Empire fell, mime became much more obscure. During the middle ages, it was rooted out of Europe by the Catholic Church for the most part. The Church felt that the mimes spoke far too loudly, and the sacrilegious and sometimes sensual scenes they played out were blasphemous and therefore quickly weeded out. In contrast, several Roman Emperors were fans of mime; the matricidal emperor Nero actually was a mime (Lust). In any case, mimes became rare and operated mostly in the homes of aristocrats who needed entertainment desperately. The revival of mime didnt occur until the other major revival of the arts, the Renaissance. During the Renaissance, Mime changed significantly, and began to fuse more with another type of art, commedia dell'arte. This difficult to pronounce word is a type of theater, characterized by using props, plots, and characters. It generally involves lots of ad-libbing, and only follows the general outline of the story. The actors often have their own character that they play, and are usually very stereotypical, such as a brave army officer, very unfaithful husband, or an old man with dementia (Richard 445). From this, mime took the ideas of stereotypical characters that are reused through different plays, and the idea of ad-libbing. Mimes in the Renaissance would sometimes change their act depending on how the audience responded, to routines that were more liked. Audiences liked the funny and exaggerated characters the most, for example, Arlecchino, or Harlequin, who was a flamboyantly dressed servant, who specialized in acrobatics and hilarious attempts to woo ladies. This character would become popular among the common people, spreading through many theatres and troupes (Barry).

Another character that was developed from mimes was Pierrot, a French character that became one of the leading symbols for mime in the nineteenth century. The character helped create the image of mimes with white make-up and faces, by often having a white face. Mime was usually focused in areas near where it came from (France, Italy, Greece), but in the later half of the millennium, it began to move more westward, into Spain and England. There mime was used mostly in dumbshows, a type of drama where no dialogue would take place. These were used in plays as famous as Shakespeares Hamlet, which was very popular (Lust). As mime progressed throughout the nineteenth century, it remained relatively the same, until the advent of film. Mime was the only way to film movies back when there was no audio with the films. Perhaps the most famous of mimes was Marcel Marceau, a movie star/mime that portrayed Bip the Clown in many French silent movies. Another very famous movie star was also a mime, but wasnt know for it: Charlie Chaplin. His artistic miming of emotions and feelings is what made his movies the success that they were. Miming and pantomiming is as common as charades, and as old as the Roman Empire. Throughout the ages, it has evolved and absorbed other art forms, and has become richer and deeper for it. The use of only ones body for the stage can create an entirely different type of story that can feel more honest and believable. Mimicry is a basic form of art that has stayed with humans for thousands of years, and likely will continue for thousands to come.

Works Cited Andrews, Richard. Molire, Commedia Dellarte, And The Question Of Influence In Early Modern European Theatre. Modern Language Review 100.2 (2005): 444-463. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. Buckley, Matthew. Eloquent Action: The Body and Meaning in Early Commedia Dellarte. Theatre Survey 50.2 (2009): 251-315. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. Curtis, Paul. Pantomime or Mime? Kiko the Mime. N.p., 1996. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. <http://members.tripod.com/kiko_mime/mime.html>. Grantham, Barry. Playing Commedia: A Training Guide to Commedia Techniques. London: Nick Hern Books, 2000. Print. Lust, Annette. The Origins and Development of the Art of Mime. From the Greek Mimes to Marcel Marceau and Beyond: Mimes, Actors, Pierrots and Clowns: A Chronicle of the Many Visages of Mime in the Theatre. Reprint ed. N.p.: Scarecrow, 2000. N. pag. Rpt. in History of Mime. pag. The World of Mime Theatre. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. <http://www.mime.info/history-lust.html>. Mime. Def. 1. Random House Websters College Dictionary. 1998 ed. 1998. Print. Slater, W. J. Mimes and Mancipes. Pheonix 59 (Fall-Winter 2005): 316-323. JSTOR. Web. 7 Mar. 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/25067779>.