In a recent
comment, I was accused of making myself look like a fool; for the life of me I
can’t figure out why this is anyone’s business other than mine. It is my blog
and if I want to make a fool of myself then I am perfectly entitled to do so
and I certainly don’t need the self-righteous indignation of others to determine
my behaviour, foolish or otherwise. I've made a fool
of myself many times but if anyone was really was
concerned about me making a fool of myself, then they should have been here
about 7 years ago, when I was on the receiving end of what can only be
described as the nuclear bomb of foolishness.
(Of course, it was a man, isn’t it always?)
Anyway, for my
foolishness, I paid a high price because not only did it cost me my honour’s
degree but the fall-out from it, is
something I will have to manage for the rest of my life. (Some of which is a
result of his actions first time around, when I was but a naive teenager-what a
guy!) But you live and learn, so they say. I can only hope, but then ’we are
all fools in love’….or so said Charlotte in Pride and Prejudice.
Anyway, as fools
go, there is a long and noble tradition and the figure of the fool or jester is
a staple found in cultures throughout history.
As I found out from my research, (Yes, imagine, I even managed to do my
own research too!!) there is more to the ‘fool’ than meets the eye!
Italics and
comments in brackets are mine -
Fools or jesters
‘ are viewed as having been dumb people who were adept at clownish activities
such as juggling or gymnastics and who wore flamboyant outfits. Though some may
have fallen into this category, many jesters were quite smart, using their wit
as a tool to help diffuse tense situations at the royal court. The clothes
stereotype has the most support, however, as many jesters did wear clothes that
made them stand out from the crowd. Comical costumes and three-pointed hats are
thought to have been the common outfit of the jester, but the three-pointed hat
was probably an allusion to earlier times when jesters would instead wear
donkey ears and a tail. (alluded to in the story of Pinocchio, my favourite
Disney film)
The Functions of a Medieval Jester
Jesters in
Medieval Europe were more involved with affairs of state than in other time periods. Oftentimes, a monarch
or high ranking official would search for a jester to keep at court. The court
jester of medieval times was usually allowed
to speak his mind freely, while everyone else had to wait for the monarch's
permission to speak. Many times, the jester would use his chance at free speech to criticize the monarch openly, where
no one else could. Thus, a function of the jester was to act as a critic, and many stories exist to support the fact that kings did pay heed to the criticism of
the court jester. (Might be a good time to think about bringing them back…maybe
into Parliament?)
The jester's
ability to speak freely also came
into play when tense matters were being discussed. Quite frequently the jester
would diffuse heated discussions by inserting humorous statements, thereby
avoiding any unnecessary confrontations.
Famous Jesters in Medieval Europe
The comedic
nature of jesters contributed to their popularity among the common people. Many
jesters were the subject of stories that were distributed among the public, and
they became popular icons King Henry VIII employed a jester by the name of Will
Sommers, who gained such fame that he was the subject of literature and drama
almost two centuries after his death. King Charles I employed a jester named
Jeffrey Hudson who gained the nickname, the "Royal Dwarf" because of
his height. One of his infamous pranks, was to hide inside of a giant pie and then
leap out. The most famous jester in the history of Poland was a jester by the
name of Stańczyk. After his death, Stańczyk became a national symbol in
Poland's struggle for independence from Russia. He has been the subject of
numerous paintings, works of literature, dramas, and even movies though he died
in the 16th century.
The End of the Medieval Jester
The tradition of
the medieval jester met its end in England as a direct result of the English
Civil War (Yah boo sucks!). After Oliver Cromwell rose to power, he had no
tolerance for the comedy of the jester, (miserable old sod!) and even after
Cromwell was overthrown (hurray!) and Charles II claimed the throne in the
Restoration period, the tradition of the court jester was never reestablished.
(awwww!) The medieval tradition of the jester lasted longer in other countries
than it did in England, (hurray!) but by the 18th century, it had died out in
almost all European countries, only two or three excepted (awwwww!).
Since jesters were granted freedom of
speech, they could speak out if they
chose, against their ruler's ideas. It was the jester's nature to speak their
mind, regardless of any consequences. Since they were rarely in any type of
position to pose any kind of power threat, their outspokenness was not to be
taken seriously since they had nothing to gain by their words.
Jesters were not only hired to amuse the master and guests but to criticize them as well.
Jesters held a freedom of speech
privilege. They were one of the very few people in the court that could speak their mind freely and use humor to
joke about the nobles, ladies and lords without causing offense. Most jesters were well educated and they
came from diverse backgrounds. Although they were granted quite a bit of
freedom, excessive behavior commonly resulted in a jester being whipped. (Ohh!)
There were two types of jesters, or fools. The first type was a natural foolthat was moronic and
nit-witted and could not help what he said. The second type was the licensed foolthat the courts gave
leeway too. Both were fully excused by the courts within reason. Another job of
the jester was to deliver bad news that no one else would...’
So there you have it, a brief history of the jester or fool. But as Mark Twain said, ’It is easier to fool
a man than to convince him he has been fooled’. Then again, the person who said
it was commenting on a post on my blog, so who is the bigger fool, the fool or
the fool who follows them?
History Of The Jester https://owlcation.com/humanities/History-of-the-Medieval-Jester
Tags: mark twain, fools, jesters, free speech, pride and prejudice, pinnocchio