The Role of Female Khon Characters: Making Khon Performances More Spectacular

Abstract

The article “The Role of Female Khon Characters: Making Khon Performances More Spectacular” is a part of the doctoral dissertation in the Thai Dance program entitled “Performances of female characters in the Khon masked drama”. The article aims to analyze the classical dance features of female characters in the the Ramakien focusing on the role of female characters who are the main characters of the work and of the particular episodes.  It also presents an analysis of the history and social contexts in the way that pertains to the classical dance features of the female khon characters. It employs the research methodology to emphasize the royal composition and the Department of Fine Arts’ Khon texts.  The research findings show that the female Khon characters are able to enliven the performance in five ways – as instigators of the problem; as the person who solves or alleviates the problem; as the person who alleviates stressful situations during times of war; as the person who creates aesthetic qualities to the performance; and as the person who enhances male power and charisma.  The role of the female khon characters is therefore a “dramatis personae” that helps enhance the story by intensifying the atmosphere and flavor of the Thai khon performance making it more fun to watch and to follow.