This seminar paper explores the intersection of William Shakespeare’s use of the "Masque"—a form of courtly entertainment—and the formalist concept of "Defamiliarization" (Ostranenie). While the Masque was traditionally a stylized, allegorical performance intended to glorify the monarchy, this study examines how Shakespeare integrates this device into his later plays, such as "The Tempest" and "A Winter’s Tale," to disrupt narrative continuity and heighten poetic perception. By using the Masque within the play, Shakespeare "defamiliarizes" the theatrical experience, forcing the audience to see the familiar courtly structures in a new, often critical light. The paper analyzes how these heightened moments of artifice serve to distance the viewer from the immediate plot, thereby exposing the mechanisms of power and the fluidity of reality. Viktor Shklovsky’s theory of defamiliarization is applied to show how Shakespeare’s Masques break the "automatic" perception of drama, turning the stage into a site of profound philosophical inquiry. The research argues that the Masque acts as a meta-theatrical tool that bridges the gap between the mundane and the magical, making the artistic form itself the object of contemplation. The study concludes that Shakespeare’s appropriation of the Masque was not merely for aesthetic decoration but was a strategic linguistic and dramatic move to "make stone stony" and revitalize the audience's engagement with the complexities of human existence and social hierarchy.

Keywords: William Shakespeare, Masque, Defamiliarization, Viktor Shklovsky, Meta-theatre, Renaissance Drama.