ACT I
"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth."
—Oscar Wilde
Have you ever worn a mask?
You'll probably say, not unless you had to. Not unless you wanted to stand out.
For a costume.
For a party.
For an operation if you're a noble doctor.
For safety if you're a medieval executioner.
For a robbery if you're a petty thief.
Theater masks—Melpomene and Thalia—are exaggerated so that the audience can clearly distinguish between them.
But masks in real life are more subtle-with the purpose of getting the audience to lower their guards down.
And so, no one really sees the mask that can be seen in broad daylight, staring each of us right in the face.
The mask that each one of us wears every single day.
While some aren't consciously aware of it, we live through multiple worlds throughout our lifetime. Most of us will wear all sorts of disguise throughout our lives in order to fit in to every role required of us.
The golden child.
The perfect student.
The trustworthy friend.
The dedicated employee.
The valiant leader.
The loving spouse.
The doting parent.
Living through multiple worlds can be exhausting. Juggling through different masks and disguises, even more so.
Once that mask cracks, we get a glimpse of the real thing hiding beneath.
And yet, why do humans still have a hard time seeing through these masks?
Probably because it's easier, more logical, to believe that what you see on the surface is the real thing. After all, if you stare at the mirror long enough while wearing that mask, you may just convince yourself—and therefore, others—into believing that you're not.
For other people, on the other hand, that's a weapon.
Truth is, you don't even have to try hard to deceive and manipulate other people. They can do it all on their own. You won't even have to lift a finger if you knew which masks to use.
Smiles are the most powerful mask. When executed perfectly, most people won't be able to tell which ones are fake and which are not.
Humans in general are inclined to feel safer around fellow humans flashing them those pearly whites than around those reclusive, brooding ones.
The second most powerful mask is connections. You don't stand out if you have connections. Humans are inclined to believe that they know you when you're in some way connected to them.
And humans crave connection. They cannot live without it.
It's human nature. It's human folly.
And wouldn't it be just too easy, too tempting, too breathtaking of an opportunity to take advantage and profit off of other people's folly?
It would be too easy, especially if you know exactly how to use these powerful masks to your advantage.
For example, I could stab a person through the back of their skull and out their eye socket, and you won't immediately suspect me if I were well-dressed, well-mannered, and well-connected, wouldn't you?
Sometimes it takes a harsh wake-up call for people to see the mask as it is.
A diversion.
A false persona to cover our deepest, darkest selves.
And a wake-up call is what these people are definitely going to get.
This may be their journey-you may even be tempted to accompany them-to unearthing the monster behind the mask of those people they hold dear. But make no mistake.
This story is mine and mine alone.
Do you still want to proceed?
Do you think you'll be able to see through my mask before it's too late?