subject: A Funny And Brief History Of Jesters [print this page] Crack open a new deck of cards, and what do you pull out? A couple of Jokers, of course. Also called jester, fool, trickster, buffoon, jack-pudding, and wearer of the motley, this character is nearly universally recognized, but seldom seen live anymore.
Historians believe jesters were valuable tools to society way back. They would entertain prehistoric tribal society with their Wise Fool antics. One thing all historians will believe and agree on, however, is court jesters grew and flourished in the Middle Ages. They became well-paid attendants of Europes Royal Courts. Power was highly consolidated in medieval times and social mobility was difficult. A child of peasants was likely to become a peasant, and stone masons gave the world more masons, just as royalty bred royalty. In contrast, jesters could move up on a social ladder. They came from a wide range of backgrounds -- from peasant farms and monasteries to universities. Quite a few had physical deformities and learned to wring laughs from what otherwise couldve been an unfortunate situation. For example, a hunch back could be used within a jesters sketches, instead of having them ostracised from a community because of it. Usually, they climbed up the social ladder and were prized for their outsiders humorous take on life. For instance, when Shakespeares King Lear was brooding alone in the woods, his only company he wanted was his amusing fool.
Not all jesters were so lucky to do lunch with royals. Most subsisted by performing in marketplaces or town squares, showcasing their art on a simple stage they "built." These were usually things such as a decorative carpet thrown on the ground, or a circle drawn with a stick in a village square. These resourceful jesters would gather an audience with clever attention-grabbing techniques ("Come see me leap from the bell tower while sipping an ale!") and after enough curious bystanders gathered, theyd begin their show, which steadily climbed to a climax, at which point they would solicit donations from the crowd. If an especially amusing jester was lucky enough to be seen by a royal court representative, he could get an invitation to audition as a court jester. Definitely a gig not to turn down!
Most European royal courts hired jesters to perform at palace parties and celebrations. They were paid well and often wore elegant costumes inspired by the patchwork of their poorer brethren. Added to their wit, most had developed several additional performance skills -- they played lutes and flutes, danced, juggled, told jokes, did acrobatics and pantomime, ropewalked, performed tongue twisters, yodelled, sang and did vocal tricks. Crack open a new deck of cards, and you can see illustrations of this character in the joker, of course.
Today, a person performing in a street is once again a sight seen in more places than others. People are used to witnessing fire breathers, knife throwers, dancers and other performers walking their streets, catcalling and drawing attention. Many of these people, unlike jesters of olden ages, are in fact performers from theatres and other places, whom are hoping to either earn a little extra money, or simply entertain crowds.
