Jesters could give bad news to the King that no one else would dare deliver. In 1340, when the English navy destroyed a French fleet at the
Battle of Sluys,
Philip VI of France's jester told him the English sailors "don't even have the guts to jump into the water like our brave French". In the 18th century, jesters had died out except in
Russia,
Spain, and
Germany. In
France and
Italy, travelling groups of jesters performed plays featuring stylised characters in a form of theatre called the ''
commedia dell'arte. A version of this passed into British folk tradition in the form of a puppet show, Punch and Judy''. In France the tradition of the court jester ended with the abolition of the monarchy in the
French Revolution. In 2015, the town of
Conwy in
North Wales appointed Russel Erwood (aka Erwyd le Fol) as the official resident jester of the town and its people, a post that had been vacant since 1295.
Other countries , 1493. Two jesters are depicted in the centre of the picture.
Poland's most famous court jester was
Stańczyk (
c. 1480–1560), whose jokes were usually related to political matters, and who later became a historical symbol for Poles. In 2004
English Heritage appointed
Nigel Roder ("Kester the Jester") as the State Jester for England, the first since Muckle John 355 years previously. However, following an objection by the National Guild of Jesters, English Heritage accepted they were not authorised to grant such a title. Roder was succeeded as "Heritage Jester" by Pete Cooper ("Peterkin the Fool"). In
Germany,
Till Eulenspiegel is a folkloric hero dating back to medieval times and ruling each year over
Fasching or
Carnival time, mocking politicians and public figures of power and authority with
political satire like a modern-day court jester. He holds a mirror to make us aware of our times (
Zeitgeist), and his
sceptre, his "bauble", or
marotte, is the symbol of his power. In
17th century Spain,
dwarves, often with deformities, were employed as buffoons to entertain the king and his family, especially the children. In
Diego Velázquez's painting
Las Meninas two dwarfs are included:
Maria Bárbola, a female dwarf from
Germany with
hydrocephalus, and
Nicolasito Portusato from
Italy. Mari Bárbola can also be seen in a later portrait of
princess Margarita Teresa in mourning by
Juan Bautista Martinez del Mazo. There are other paintings by Velázquez that include court dwarves such as
Prince Balthasar Charles with a Dwarf. During the
Renaissance Papacy, the Papal court in Rome had a court jester, similar to the secular courts of the time.
Pope Pius V dismissed the court Jester, and no later Pope employed one. In
Japan from the 13th to 18th centuries, the
taikomochi, a kind of male
geisha, attended the feudal lords (
daimyōs). They entertained mostly through dancing and storytelling, and were at times counted on for strategic advice. By the 16th century they fought alongside their lord in battle in addition to their other duties. In
Akira Kurosawa's 1985 film
Ran with
Sengoku era setting, Kyoami is a
Shakespearean fool character, the jester of Hidetora. He is inspired by the Fool in
King Lear.
Tonga was the first royal court to appoint a court jester in the 20th century;
Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, the King of Tonga, appointed
JD Bogdanoff to that role in 1999. Bogdanoff was later embroiled in a financial scandal. In many Sanskrit Indian texts such as the
Abhijnanashakuntalam, Vidushakas are a role that may be compared to European jesters. In the
Kamasutra, a Vidushaka, also known as a Vaihasaka, is defined as a beloved jester trusted by everyone. This character is somewhat skilled in the arts but is primarily known for provoking laughter. The Vidūṣaka is also detailed in the
Nāṭyaśāstra. In the theatres, his character is often depicted as dwarfish, hunch-backed, having large teeth and tawny eyes. He wears makeup showing a shaven head or a crow's foot pattern imprint on his head. He is a clever confidant who observes and imitates all types of people, uses witty speech to reveal secrets that no one else dares to venture, delivers criticism to even kings through humor so that no one gets offended, maintains good relationship with women and entertains the court. The root of the word "fool" is from the Latin
follis, which means "bag of wind" or bellows or that which contains air or breath.
In fiction The jester can be symbolic of common sense and of honesty, notably in
King Lear, where the court jester is a character used for insight and advice on the part of the monarch, taking advantage of his licence to mock and speak freely to dispense frank observations and highlight the folly of his monarch. This presents a clashing irony as a greater man could dispense the same advice and find himself being detained in the dungeons or even executed. Only as the lowliest member of the court can the jester be the monarch's most useful adviser. The
Shakespearean fool is a recurring character type in the works of
William Shakespeare. Shakespearean fools are usually clever peasants or commoners that use their wits to outdo people of higher social standing. In this sense, they are very similar to the real
fools, and jesters of the time, but their characteristics are greatly heightened for theatrical effect. The "groundlings" (theatre-goers who were too poor to pay for seats and thus stood on the 'ground' in the front by the stage) that frequented the Globe Theatre were more likely to be drawn to these Shakespearean fools. However they were also favoured by the nobility. Most notably,
Queen Elizabeth I was a great admirer of the popular actor who portrayed fools,
Richard Tarlton. For Shakespeare himself, however, actor
Robert Armin may have proved vital to the cultivation of the fool character in his many plays.
In tarot In
tarot, "
The Fool" is a card of the
Major Arcana. The tarot depiction of the Fool often shows a man (or less often, a woman) dressed in bright clothes and holding a white rose in one hand and a small bundle of possessions in the other, with a dog or cat at their heels. The fool is in the act of unknowingly walking off the edge of a cliff, precipice, or other high place. ==Modern usage==