![]() As a Puritan Christian republic, England under the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell had no place for such things as jesters. The tradition of court jesters came to an end in Britain when Charles I was overthrown in the Civil War. A third jester associated with Charles I was called Muckle John. Hudson fought on the Royalist side in the English Civil War. One of his jests was to be presented hidden in a giant pie from which he would leap out. Jeffrey Hudson had the title of Royal Dwarf because he was short of stature. Charles later employed a jester called Jeffrey Hudson who was very popular and loyal. He held some influence at court still in the reign of Charles I and estates of land in Ireland. Even after his disgrace, books telling of his jests were sold in London streets. ![]() He was eventually thrown out of the King's employment when he over-reached himself and insulted too many influential people. During his lifetime Armstrong was given great honours at court. King James VI of Scotland also employed a jester called Archibald Armstrong. In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Feste the jester is described as "wise enough to play the fool". Clowns and jesters were featured in Shakespeare's plays, and the company's expert on jesting was Robert Armin, author of the book Fooled upon Foole. Henry VIII of England employed a jester named Will Sommers.ĭuring the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I of England, William Shakespeare wrote his plays and performed with his theatre company the Lord Chamberlain's Men ( later called the King's Men ). Entertainment included music, juggling, clown, and the telling of riddles. Many courts throughout English royal history employed entertainers and most had professional fools, sometimes called licensed fools. Jesters were popular with the Aztec people in the 14th to 16th centuries. Phillippe VI's jester told him the English sailors "don't even have the guts to jump into the water like our brave French".Įarly jesters were popular in Ancient Egypt, and entertained Egyptian pharaohs. The best example of this is in 1340, when the French fleet was destroyed at the Battle of Sluys by the English. Jesters could also give bad news to the King that no one else would dare deliver. Scholar David Carlyon has cast doubt on the "daring political jester", calling historical tales "apocryphal", and concluding that "popular culture embraces a sentimental image of the clown writers reproduce that sentimentality in the jester, and academics in the Trickster", but it "falters as analysis". His characteristic idiom suggests he is a "natural" fool, not an artificial one, though his perceptiveness and wit show that he is far from being an idiot, however "touched" he might be. Much to Gonerill's annoyance, Lear's 'all-licensed' Fool enjoys a privileged status. His folly could be regarded as the raving of a madman but was often deemed to be divinely inspired. The fool's status was one of privilege within a royal or noble household. In other words, both were excused, to some extent, for their behavior, the first because he "couldn't help it", and the second by decree.ĭistinction was made between fools and clowns, or country bumpkins. Whereas the natural fool was seen as innately nit-witted, moronic, or mad, the licensed fool was given leeway by permission of the court. One may conceptualize fools in two camps: those of the natural fool type and those of the licensed fool type. Excessive behaviour, however, could lead to a fool being whipped, as Lear threatens to whip his fool. ![]() Queen Elizabeth (reigned 1558–1603) is said to have rebuked one of her fools for being insufficiently severe with her. Regarded as pets or mascots, they served not simply to amuse but to criticise their master or mistress and their guests. donkey) ears or a red-flannel coxcomb and bells. parti-coloured) coat, hood with ass's (i.e. In Renaissance times, aristocratic households in Britain employed licensed fools or jesters, who sometimes dressed as other servants were dressed, but generally wore a motley (i.e. In ancient times, courts employed fools and by the Middle Ages the jester was a familiar figure. ![]() The Royal Shakespeare Company provides historical context for the role of the fool: These earlier terms described entertainers who differed in their skills and performances but who all shared many similarities in their role as comedic performers for their audiences. Before this time jesters were known by many different terms such as: "gestour" or "jestour", "fol", "disour", and "bourder". The modern use of the word "jester" did not come into use until the mid-16th century during Tudor times.
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