The Clothes of Insularity in Browne’s Inner Temple Masque

Résumé 0

William Browne’s Inner Temple Masque, or Ulysses and Circe (1615), has attracted comparatively little critical attention. Scholars have so far mainly studied its relationship with Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx’s Ballet Comique de la Reine or its borrowings from Homer. None has analysed in depth the clothes described in the masque, or the way nature is perceived and represented. Yet recent studies of the English masque have shown that the impact of the masquers’ clothes on the spectators was an essential part of the show, and of its political content.Following Barbara Ravelhofer’s proposition that, to better understand masques, the interaction between the dancers, their costumes and the set is essential, I argue that, in The Inner Temple Masque, the islanders’ mythical dress symbolises their identity and that costume reflects the interconnectedness between the island and its inhabitants. Clothes are an interface with one’s environment, as well as a way to promote a respectful and symbiotic relationship to nature.The islanders blend in perfectly in a world dominated by white and green, as the set and costumes convey together a sense of harmony. The separation between island and islanders is made gradually irrelevant, as art and nature are interwoven in the masque. A comparison between Browne’s and Beaujoyeulx’s Circe in the Ballet Comique de la Reine allows us to pinpoint the originality of Browne's refashioning of Circe, whose costume allows her to transform the island. Furthermore, the island’s ecosystem relies on equal exchange between what its inhabitants take, and what they provide in return. Entrance into it can only be achieved by participating in its ecosystem of exchange. The sailors who abuse the island’s resources are turned into animals, while those who give in return manage to be harmoniously incorporated into the island’s ecosystem. Be they positive or negative, their metamorphoses are reflected in their clothes. The paper closes on a hypothesis for Ulysses’ costume, the only one not described in the masque.