The Mask of Innocence

The use of children in performances over the years has often been to create icons of innocence. An audience often connects to their paternal instincts when watching an innocent child perform and thus develop a connection with the performance. It is this innocence that is often used to veil underlying messages or goals. These messages often include issues of gender identification and homoeroticism.

In “Galatea”, we see the development of a love relationship between Galatea and Phillida (two girls disguised as boys). The audience is first manipulated to connect with their paternal instincts through feeling sympathy for the fathers who are trying to protect their daughters. Through this emotion, the audience is easily transitioned into support for the girls’ growing love. The interesting issue is the fact that, outside the scope of the performance, boys are actually playing the two girls. The play goes on to convince the audience that “impossible” love is simply a technicality that can be bypassed if the love is true. This idea is not seen as an atrocity because the two lovers are girls and they are so young. The basis that love generated through the innocence of youth is free from lust or mal-intent plays heavily here. The truth of the matter is, throughout the entire play there are two boys pretending to fall in love with each other. This clear incorporation of the difficulty of sexual identity for children allows the audience to play with the forbidden idea that true and innocent love can be found in homosexuality as well.

Similar arguments can be made for “The Knight of the Burning Pestle.” According to Osbourne, Beaumont makes the paternal qualities of the relationship between Nell and Rafe evident through Nell’s dialogue concerning Rafe. Perhaps Beaumont uses this relationship to critique the actual dynamic between the performers and the audience (keeping in mind that Nell is actually played by a male). If we consider the idea that plays focused primarily on the male audience, we can make a comparison between the male audience and Nell. Nell quite possibly calls into question the sexual identity of the males I the audience. By using a boy to represent Nell (an overzealous member of the “audience”), Beaumont allows the idea that male audience members quite often struggle with emotions reserved for females. However, these ideas are constantly masked by the fact that these roles are played by “innocent” boys who should not be taken seriously when they represent ideas concerning sexual identity.