The origin of the word role is in the early 17th century: from French rôle, from obsolete French roule ‘roll’, referring originally to the roll of paper on which the actor’s part was written (the same is the case in other languages e.g. German).
The concept of a role you can take on and off might not have existed in general use long before that. I am uncertain about this thesis but from the evidence I have seen so far, I think this role concept could be the result of the adaptations to the increasing division of labor. Before that people sure were behaving sometimes as a father, carpenter, or soldier—but I contend not because they were consciously switching roles (though some individuals may have reflected sufficiently I presume there was no common knowledge or language for ‘role switching’). The only persons regularly in a different role were actors. It may be that in earlier times it was even necessary to wear a mask to allow actors to take on a role convincingly. To help their audience who otherwise might not have made the mental leap of treating them differently from the acted character.
Origins of Roles
The origin of the word role is in the early 17th century: from French rôle, from obsolete French roule ‘roll’, referring originally to the roll of paper on which the actor’s part was written (the same is the case in other languages e.g. German).
The concept of a role you can take on and off might not have existed in general use long before that. I am uncertain about this thesis but from the evidence I have seen so far, I think this role concept could be the result of the adaptations to the increasing division of labor. Before that people sure were behaving sometimes as a father, carpenter, or soldier—but I contend not because they were consciously switching roles (though some individuals may have reflected sufficiently I presume there was no common knowledge or language for ‘role switching’). The only persons regularly in a different role were actors. It may be that in earlier times it was even necessary to wear a mask to allow actors to take on a role convincingly. To help their audience who otherwise might not have made the mental leap of treating them differently from the acted character.