ical ▁role , ▁where ▁the ▁actor ▁( or ▁the ▁characteristics ▁of ▁a ▁prop ) ▁represents ▁a ▁certain ▁interest ▁or ▁function , ▁and ▁int ends ▁by ▁character ▁both ▁" the ▁characteristics ▁of ▁somebody " ▁and ▁" the ▁characteristics ▁of ▁something ". ▁Marx ' s ▁met ap hor ical ▁use ▁of ▁the ▁term ▁" character ▁mask s " ▁refers ▁back ▁to ▁car n ival ▁mask s ▁and ▁the ▁mask s ▁used ▁in ▁classical ▁Greek ▁theatre . ▁At ▁issue ▁is ▁the ▁social ▁form ▁in ▁which ▁a ▁practice ▁is ▁acted ▁out . ▁ ▁A ▁s oph istic ated ▁academic ▁language ▁for ▁talking ▁about ▁the ▁soci ology ▁of ▁roles ▁did ▁not ▁exist ▁in ▁the ▁mid - 1 9 th ▁century . ▁Marx ▁therefore ▁borrow ed ▁from ▁theatre ▁and ▁literature ▁to ▁express ▁his ▁idea . ▁Although ▁Gy ör gy ▁L uk á cs ▁pione ered ▁a ▁soci ology ▁of ▁drama ▁in ▁ 1 9 0 9 , ▁a ▁soci ology ▁of ▁roles ▁began ▁only ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 3 0 s , ▁and ▁a ▁specific ▁soci ology ▁of ▁theatre ▁( e . g . ▁by ▁Jean ▁D uv ign aud ) ▁first ▁emer ged ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s . ▁Marx ' s ▁concept ▁is ▁both ▁that ▁an ▁identity ▁appears ▁differently ▁from ▁its ▁true ▁identity ▁( it ▁is ▁mask ed ▁or ▁dis gu ised ), ▁and ▁that ▁this ▁difference ▁has ▁very ▁real ▁practical ▁consequences ▁( the ▁mask ▁is ▁not ▁simply ▁a ▁decor ation , ▁but ▁performs ▁a ▁real ▁function ▁and ▁has ▁real ▁effects , ▁even