Making the Man
The Role of Clothing, Gender and Queerness in Galatea and As You Like It
In the Early Modern period gender was a performance. Clothing and actions came together to “make the man.” This idea made it possible for queer and trans identities to be portrayed in plays of the time, in Galatea and As You Like It. Galatea and As You Like It lean towards their queerness and transness differently. They have many similarities, because of Galatea being a precursor to, and inspiration for, As You Like It. They are similar in premise. Two young women escape into the woods, one or both dress as men, and the main character falls in love within greenspace, but once more specific details are revealed they are both very distinct plays with very distinct identities.
In the plays Galatea and As You Like It, two young women escape into the woods away from the patriarchal structures of their lives. In Galatea, Galatea and Philida dress up as young men in order to escape the possibility of being virgin sacrifices for Neptune. In As You Like It Rosalind and Celia go into the woods in order to escape Celia's father who has threatened Rosalind's life because she is a threat to his rule. Rosalind, like Galatea and Philida, dresses up as a young man named Ganymede. Both Galatea and As You Like It are pastoral comedies. These are comedies that are set outside of city life and are set in greenery and nature. This mirrors the Early Modern desire to return to Arden. The return to Arden was an idea of wanting to return to Eden and wanting to return back to nature. Being within “Arden” made what would be seen as unnatural appear to be natural within society. Within these plays referring to what is natural refers to what is seen as natural within society, or what is seen as socially acceptable. In society a woman dressing as, and acting as, a man would be seen as unnatural. So nature and green spaces lend to allowing queerness and transness to be explored. In both plays these characters dressing as men would be seen as unnatural and even promiscuous within their society. So by going into nature, they are able to shirk these ideas and dress as men.
In Galatea neither Galatea nor Philida want to dress up as men. Galatea doesn't want to because she believes destiny is to be met and not avoided. She also believes that trying to avoid destiny by dressing as a man would be a dishonorable way of living. Galatea says to her father “Destiney may be deferred not prevented; and therefore it is better to offer myself in triumph than to be drawn to it with dishonor.” (Lyly 1.1 75-77) Philida does not want to dress up as a man because she believes it will not become her, as well as will dishonor her like Galatea says to her father. Philida says to her father “It will neither become my body nor my mind.” (Lyly 1.4 16) “For then I must keep company with boys, and commit follies unseemly for my sex; or keep company with girls, and be thought more wanton than becometh.” (Lyly 1.4 18-21). Neither Galatea nor Philida act as a young man. They wear the clothing but do not walk the walk or talk the talk of a young man. They are each attracted to how feminine the “man” they are talking to inhabits. It could be that they are attracted to each other because, as mirrors for each other, they are attracted to both the feminine wearing masculine in themselves as they are in each other. They even express that the other seems to be like a woman to the point that they say it is a pity they are not. “framed you not a woman, having a face so fair, so lovely a countenance, so modest a behavior.” (Lyly 3.2 1-3)
Galatea and Philida are in opposition to Rosalind, who needs absolutely no prompting or convincing to dress as a man. When Rosalind and Celia are discussing escaping into the woods and Rosalind brings up beauty provoking danger, Celia offers that she will dress in “poor and mean attire” (Shakespeare 1.3 117) and then Rosalind quickly suggests that she must be the one to dress as a man.
Were it not better,
Because that I am more than common tall,
That I did suit me all points like a man?
A gallant curtal-ax upon my thigh,
A boar-spear in my hand, and in my heart
Lie there what hidden woman's fear there will,
We'll have a swashing and a martial outside—
As many other mannish cowards have
That do outface it with their semblances. (Shakespeare 1.3 121-129)
The difference between Galatea and Philida dressing as men and Rosalind dressing as a man can be seen in the choice of their names. Galatea and Philida choose the names of their fathers. This both shows their connections to their fathers as their fathers’ property, but also their lack of connection to the male identities that they are wearing, and so they do not choose a name to christen their male identities. The use of their fathers names shows that they are living their male identities for the will of their fathers. This is in opposition to Rosalind, who both chose her male identity and her name. She chooses the name Ganymede, a reference to the cupbearer of Jove who he loved: “I'll have no worse a name than Jove's own page, And therefore look you call me Ganymede.” (Shakespeare 1.3 131-132). For this reason Rosalind/Ganymede seems to have a stronger trans narrative than Galatea and Philida who have a very strong queer, or lesbian, narrative. While there are strong queer themes and narratives in As You Like It, mainly the relationship between Rosalind and Celia and the relationship between Ganymede and Orlando, Rosalind's trans narrative seems to be the stronger of the two. The strongest narrative in Galatea and Philida’s story is their attraction and relationship to one another, and the stronger narrative in Rosalind’s is her relationship with her own gender. Rosalind's relationship with her gender is on display within her romantic relationships, specifically her relationship with Orlando. For a majority of their relationship Orlando interacts with Ganymede or with Ganymede acting as Rosalind. In these scenes it does not read as Rosalind interacting with Orlando dressed as a man. It reads as Ganymede interacting with Orlando pretending to be an exaggerated caricature of a woman, not even an exaggeration of Rosalind. Ganymede paints women as cruel and fickle, whereas Rosalind is loving and constant. When she first hears of Orlando being in the woods she is nervous of him seeing her in her mens apparel, possibly because of the ideas of society coming into the woods with Orlando “Alas the day, what shall I do with my doublet and hose?” (Shakespeare 3.2 223-224) Rosalind interacting with Orlando as Ganymede makes their love story a queer story because of Rosalind/Ganymedes gender fluid nature.
Rosalind/Ganymede quickly takes on the mantle of a man. Once they dawn the clothing they are prepared to be a man: “I could find in my heart to disgrace my man's apparel and to cry like a woman, but I must comfort the weaker vessel, as doublet and hose ought to show itself courageous to petticoat.” (Shakespeare 2.4 4-7). This shows that not only does Rosalind plan on looking like a man, she will also act as one and be a man in her heart.
In Galatea it is hard to tell if Galatea and Philida are attracted to the feminine in each other or the masculine on top of the feminine. They both act in a way that makes it seem as if they do not care one way or another what their gender is. They know they are women, but would just as easily be a man if that meant they could be with the other. Their coy lines where they are running around each other with words and flirting shows an ambivalence to the gender that they may or may not be.
Galatea
I would not wish to be a woman unless it were because thou art a man.
Phillida
Nay, I do not wish to be a woman, for then I should not love thee, for I have sworn never to love a woman.
Galathea
A strange humor in so pretty a youth, and according to mine, for myself will never love a woman.
Phillida
It were a shame, if a maiden should be a suitor (a thing
hated in that sex), that thou shouldst deny to be her servant. (Lyly 3.2 8-17)
This is also supported by the ending where Venus offers to turn one of them into a man and both of them agree to it. “How say ye? Are ye agreed? One to be a boy presently?” (Lyly 5.3 156-157) As part of the deal Venus will not tell them who will become a boy until they cross into the church. Both Galatea and Philida agree, not caring about their gender as long as they get to be with one another.
Venus
Then let us depart. Neither of them shall know whose lot it shall
be till they come to the church door. One shall be. Does it suffice?
Phillida
And satisfy us both. Doth it not, Galatea?
Galathea
Yes, Phillida. (Lyly 5.3 184-188)
If either of them had a preference or a strong inclination towards their original gender they may have said something to that idea. Instead they both go willingly and happily, staying together knowing one of them will become a man, and not caring. This shows that within Galatea gender only matters so much as it matters within society. Galatea and Philida being women only matters because they live within a society that looks down on and disapproves of any queerness. Galatea is saying that gender matters only as much as it matters to those around them.
The queer and trans narratives in these plays play with each other in dynamic ways, but besides the fact that both see two young women escaping into the woods and having crossdressing they are not similar plays. Galatea and Philida’s story in Galatea is one of a queer or lesbian narrative. More of a love story than a coming of age trans narrative. Rosalind/Ganymede tale, whilst it contains a love story within it, is one of trans discovery where Rosalind/Ganymede is allowed to be themselves within the woods and is allowed to be loved as both Rosalind and Ganymede both separately and as one person. The clothing in these plays allows for the discoveries that occur within greenspace. If Rosalind had been dressed as a woman then Ganymede would not have been possible and Orlando would only have been able to meet her as Rosalind and not the two sides of Rosalind/Ganymede. In Galatea if they both had not been dressed as boys they would have never fallen in love. Societal expectations would have gotten in the way and neither would have let themselves fall in love with a woman. The clothing and the greenspace allowed these plays to be queer and trans, and allowed for before unthinkable discovery.
