Editing Jester

{{Short description|Medieval European entertainer}}
{{Other uses|Jester (disambiguation)|Court jester (disambiguation)}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox performing art
| image      = Heinrich Vogtherr d. J. Schalksnarr.JPG|
| caption    = Woodcut of a jester, by Heinrich Vogtherr the Younger, c. 1540
| era        = 
}}

A '''jester''', also known as '''joker''', '''court jester''', or '''fool''', was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch kept to entertain guests at the royal court. Jesters were also travelling performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town markets, and the discipline continues into the modern day, where jesters perform at historical-themed events. Jester-like figures were common throughout the world, including Ancient Rome, China, Persia, and the Aztec empire.

During the [[Post-classical history|post-classical]] and [[Renaissance]] eras, jesters are often thought to have worn brightly coloured clothes and [[Cap and bells|eccentric hats]] in a [[motley]] pattern.

Jesters entertained with a wide variety of skills: principal among them were song, music, and storytelling, but many also employed acrobatics, juggling, telling jokes (such as puns and imitation), and performing [[Magic (illusion)|magic tricks]]. Much of the entertainment was performed in a comic style. Many jesters made contemporary jokes in word or song about people or events well known to their audiences.

==Etymology==
The modern use of the English word ''jester'' did not come into use until the mid-16th century, during [[Tudor period|Tudor times]].<ref name=FJ>{{cite book|last=Soutworth|first=John|title=Fools and Jesters at the English Court|year=1998|publisher=Sutton Publishing|location=Stroud|isbn=0-7509-1773-3|pages=89–93}}</ref> This modern term derives from the older form ''gestour'', or ''jestour'', originally from French meaning 'storyteller' or '[[minstrel]]'. Other earlier terms included ''fol'', ''disour'', ''buffoon'', and ''bourder''. These 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.<ref name=FJ/><ref>{{cite book|last=Welsford|first=Enid|author-link=Enid Welsford|title=The Fool: His Social & Literary History|year=1935|publisher=Faber & Faber|location=London|pages=114–115}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Jester|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=jester&searchmode=none|work=Online Etymology Dictionary|access-date=28 October 2012}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Fool or jester playing a dog shaped bagpipe, image by Petrus Gilberti, from Bible Historiale (Royal 15 D11 folio 262).jpg|thumb |200px|right|1404–1425, France. Two men smile at a jester's act, appearing to use a dog for a bagpipe.]]

=== ''Balatrones'' ===
In [[ancient Rome]], a '''{{lang|la|balatro}}''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|a:|l|a:|t|r|o:}} {{Respelling|BAH|lah|troh}}) was a professional jester or buffoon.<ref>[[Horace]] Sat. i. 2. 2. (cited by Allen)</ref> {{lang|la|Balatrones}} were paid for their jests, and the tables of the wealthy were generally open to them for the sake of the amusement they afforded.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f79ZzLC_4JsC&dq=Balatrones+were+paid+for+their+jests,+and+the+tables+of+the+wealthy+were+generally+open+to+them&pg=PA132 |title=Notes and Queries: A Medium of Inter-Communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, Etc |date=1868 |publisher=Bell |language=en}}</ref>

There are various theories about the origin of the term. In [[Horace]], Balatro is used as a proper name: {{lang|la|Servilius Balatro}}.<ref>Sat ii. 8. 21 (cited by Allen)</ref> An old scholiast derives the common word {{lang|la|balatro}} from the proper name, suggesting that buffoons were called {{lang|la|balatrones}} because {{lang|la|Servilius Balatro}} was a buffoon, though others have since objected to this account. [[Sextus Pompeius Festus|Festus]] derives the word from {{lang|la|blatea}}, and supposes buffoons to have been called {{lang|la|balatrones}} because they were dirty fellows, covered with spots of mud ({{lang|la|blateae}}) from walking.<ref>Pauli Diaconi excerpta ex libris Pompeii Festi de significatione verborum, liber II, [https://archive.org/stream/mverriiflacciqua01verruoft#page/108/mode/2up sub voce]. See also [https://archive.org/stream/deverborumsigni00fest#page/34/mode/2up here].</ref> Another writer suggests a derivation from {{lang|la|barathrum}}, because they, so to speak, carried their jesting to market, even into the very depth ({{lang|la|barathrum}}) of the shambles ({{lang|la|barathrum macelli}})<ref>Hor. Ep. i. 15. 31. (cited by Allen)</ref> {{lang|la|Balatro}} may be connected with {{lang|la|balare}}, "to bleat like a sheep", and hence, to speak sillily. Others have suggested a connection with {{lang|la|blatero}}, a busy-body.<ref>Gell. i. 15. (cited by Allen)</ref>

Jester-like figures have been common throughout the world. They were known in China, Persia, and the Aztec empire.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Jester |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/212748/fool |access-date=2012-06-07}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Otto |first=Beatrice |title=Fools Are Everywhere: The Court Jester Around the World |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-226-64091-4 |location=Chicago}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Dalqak |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Iranica |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/dalqak-buffoon-court-jester-also-sometimes-known-as-maskara}}</ref>

===English royal court jesters===
Many royal courts throughout English royal history employed entertainers and most had professional fools, sometimes called "licensed fools". Fool Societies, or groups of nomadic entertainers, were often hired to perform acrobatics and juggling.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Debra |date=2020-12-26 |title=What It Was Really Like To Be A Court Jester - Grunge |url=https://www.grunge.com/302144/what-it-was-really-like-to-be-a-court-jester/ |access-date=2022-10-16 |website=Grunge.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

Jesters were also occasionally used as psychological warfare. Jesters would ride in front of their troops, provoke or mock the enemy, and even serve as messengers. They played an important part in raising their own army's spirits by singing songs and reciting stories.<ref>{{Cite web |last=sheldon |first=Natasha |date=2018-09-19 |title=The Role of Fool was a Staple in Medieval Culture... In Some of the Most Unexpected Ways |url=https://historycollection.com/the-many-roles-of-the-medieval-fool/ |access-date=2022-10-16 |website=History Collection |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Debra |date=2020-12-26 |title=What It Was Really Like To Be A Court Jester - Grunge |url=https://www.grunge.com/302144/what-it-was-really-like-to-be-a-court-jester/ |access-date=2022-10-16 |website=Grunge.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Henry VIII|Henry VIII of England]] employed a jester named [[Will Sommers]]. His daughter [[Mary I of England|Mary]] was entertained by [[Jane Foole]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Westfahl |first=Gary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kaL0BwAAQBAJ&dq=Henry+VIII+of+England+employed+a+jester+named+Will+Sommers.+His+daughter+Mary+was+entertained+by+Jane+Foole.&pg=PA686 |title=A Day in a Working Life: 300 Trades and Professions through History [3 volumes]: 300 Trades and Professions through History |date=2015-04-21 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-61069-403-2 |language=en}}</ref>

During the reigns of [[Elizabeth I of England|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 (playing company)|King's Men]]). [[Clown]]s and jesters were featured in Shakespeare's plays, and the company's expert on jesting was [[Robert Armin]], author of the book ''Foole upon Foole''. In Shakespeare's ''[[Twelfth Night]]'', [[Feste]] the jester is described as "wise enough to play the fool".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shakespeare |first=William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t8AzAQAAMAAJ&dq=In+Shakespeare's+Twelfth+Night,+Feste+the+jester+is+described+as+%22wise+enough+to+play+the+fool%22.&pg=PA95 |title=The Works of Shakespeare ....: Twelfth night; or, What you will, ed. by M. Luce |date=1906 |publisher=Methuen & Company Limited |language=en}}</ref>

In Scotland, [[Mary, Queen of Scots]], had a jester called [[Nichola (fool)|Nichola]]. Her son, King [[James VI of Scotland]], employed a jester called [[Archibald Armstrong]]. During his lifetime Armstrong was given great honours at court. He was eventually thrown out of the King's employment when he over-reached and insulted too many influential people. Even after his disgrace, books telling of his jests were sold in London streets. He held some influence at court still in the reign of [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] and estates of land in [[Ireland]]. [[Anne of Denmark]] had a Scottish jester called [[Tom Durie]]. Charles I later employed a jester called [[Jeffrey Hudson]] who was very popular and loyal. Jeffrey Hudson had the title of "Royal [[Dwarfism|Dwarf]]" because he was short of stature. One of his jests was to be presented hidden in a giant pie from which he would leap out. Hudson fought on the [[Cavalier|Royalist]] side in the [[English Civil War]]. A third jester associated with Charles I was called Muckle John.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Buckle |first=Henry Thomas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G73FAAAAMAAJ&dq=A+third+jester+associated+with+Charles+I+was+called+Muckle+John.&pg=PA201 |title=The Miscellaneous and Posthumous Works of Henry Thomas Buckle |date=1872 |publisher=Longmans, Green and Company |language=en}}</ref>

===Jester's privilege===
Jester's privilege is the ability and right of a jester to talk and mock freely without being punished. As an acknowledgement of this right, the court jester had symbols denoting their status and protection under the law. The crown ([[cap and bells]]) and sceptre ([[marotte]]) mirrored the royal crown and sceptre wielded by a monarch.<ref>{{cite web|title=Medieval Jesters – And their Parallels in Modern America|url=http://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2019/1/13/medieval-jesters-and-their-parallels-in-modern-america|access-date=2022-02-18|website=History is Now Magazine, Podcasts, Blog and Books {{!}} Modern International and American history|date=13 January 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>Billington, Sandra. "A Social History of the Fool", The Harvester Press, 1984. ISBN 0-7108-0610-8</ref>

[[Martin Luther]] used jest in many of his criticisms against the Catholic Church.<ref name=hub /> In the introduction to his ''[[To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation]]'', he calls himself a court jester, and, later in the text, he explicitly invokes the jester's privilege when saying that monks should break their chastity vows.<ref name=hub>{{citation |title= Ethical consensus and the truth of laughter: the structure of moral transformations |volume= 4 |series= Morality and the meaning of life |author= Hub Zwart |publisher= [[Peeters Publishers]] |year= 1996 |isbn= 978-90-390-0412-8 |page= 156 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=zkQFtzp0ZwMC }}</ref>

==Political significance==
Jesters could give bad news to the King that no one else would dare deliver. In 1340, when the French fleet was destroyed at the [[Battle of Sluys]] by the English, [[Phillippe VI]]'s jester told him the English sailors "don't even have the guts to jump into the water like our brave French".<ref name=":0" />

===End of tradition===
After the [[Stuart Restoration|Restoration]], [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] did not reinstate the tradition of the court jester, but he did greatly patronise the theatre and proto-[[music hall]] entertainments, especially favouring the work of [[Thomas Killigrew]]. Though Killigrew was not officially a jester, [[Samuel Pepys]] in his famous diary does call Killigrew "The King's fool and jester, with the power to mock and revile even the most prominent without penalty" (12 February 1668).

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 [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Folklore|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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/welsh-town-appoints-official-jester-700-years-article-1.2316415|title=Welsh town appoints first official jester in 700 years|newspaper=NY Daily News|access-date=2016-10-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011214815/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/welsh-town-appoints-official-jester-700-years-article-1.2316415|archive-date=2018-10-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/russel-erwood-town-jester-conwy-9814519|title=This official town jester can balance a flaming barbecue on his head..!|last=Day|first=Liz|date=2015-08-08|newspaper=walesonline|access-date=2016-10-14}}</ref>

===Other countries===

[[File:Schuttersfeest, Meester van Frankfurt, (1493), Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 529.jpg|thumb|180px|''Festival of the Archers''. [[Master of Frankfurt]],  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.<ref name="Kochanowski">{{Cite book | location=Lublin | isbn = 978-83-222-0473-3 | author1 = Janusz Pelc| author2 = Paulina Buchwald-Pelcowa | author3 = Barbara Otwinowska | publisher = Wydawnictwo Lubelskie | title = Jan Kochanowski 1584-1984: epoka, twórczość, recepcja | year = 1989 | pages=425–438|language=pl}}</ref><ref name="Jakubowski">{{Cite journal | publisher = [[Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe]] | location = Warsaw | editor = Jan Zygmunt Jakubowski |journal=Przegląd humanistyczny | volume = 3 | year = 1959 | page = 200 |language=pl}}</ref>

In 2004 [[English Heritage]] appointed [[Nigel Roder]] ("Kester the Jester") as the State Jester for England, the first since Muckle John 355 years previously.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3545218.stm | work=BBC News | title=Jesters joust for historic role | date=2004-08-08 | access-date=2010-05-06}}</ref> However, following an objection by the National Guild of Jesters, English Heritage accepted they were not authorised to grant such a title.<ref>{{cite news|last=Griffiths |first=Emma |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4120607.stm |title=Jesters get serious in name row |work=BBC News |date=2004-12-23 |access-date=2012-07-11}}</ref> Roder was succeeded as "Heritage Jester" by Pete Cooper ("Peterkin the Fool").<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4775661.stm |title=Jester completes 100-mile tribute |work=BBC News |date=2006-08-09 |access-date=2012-07-11}}</ref>

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]], [[Dwarfism|dwarves]], often with deformities, were employed as buffoons to entertain the king and his family, especially the children. In [[Diego Velázquez|Velázquez]]'s painting [[Las Meninas]] two dwarfs are included: [[Maria Bárbola]], a female dwarf from [[Germany]] with [[hydrocephalus]], and [[:es:Nicolasito Pertusato|Nicolasito Portusato]] from [[Italy]]. Mari Bárbola can also be seen in a later portrait of [[Margarita Teresa of Spain|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 (''[[daimyō]]s''). 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.

[[Tonga]] was the first royal court to appoint a court jester in the 20th century; [[Taufa'ahau Tupou IV]], the King of Tonga, appointed [[Jesse Bogdonoff|JD Bogdanoff]] to that role in 1999.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thenoodlebowl.com/jesters/images/reality/jddecree.jpg |format=JPEG |title=Tonga royal decree appointing JD Bogdanoff as court jester |access-date=2009-10-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106004548/http://www.thenoodlebowl.com/jesters/images/reality/jddecree.jpg |archive-date=2012-11-06 }}</ref> Bogdanoff was later embroiled in a financial scandal.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3141297.stm |title=Tongan court jester faces trial |date=11 August 2003 |access-date=2009-10-29 |work=BBC News}}</ref>

==As a symbol==
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=fool|title=Online Etymology Dictionary|website=www.etymonline.com|language=en|access-date=2017-03-30}}</ref>

===In fiction===
[[Image:William Dyce - King Lear and the Fool in the Storm.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|''King Lear and the Fool in the Storm'' by [[William Dyce]]]]
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 [[fool (stock character)|fool]]s, and jesters of the time, but their characteristics are greatly heightened for theatrical effect.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=81oZXMaib6IC&q=gravediggers++hamlet&pg=PA139 |title=The fools of Shakespeare: an ... - Frederick B. Warde - Google Boeken |access-date=2011-12-24|last1=Warde |first1=Frederick B. |year=1913 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foolsforhire.com/info/history.html |title=History of the Fool |publisher=Foolsforhire.com |access-date=2011-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011053002/http://www.foolsforhire.com/info/history.html |archive-date=2008-10-11 }}</ref>

===In tarot===
[[File:TT Tarot.png|thumb|upright|The Fool tarot card from an 1890 deck]]
In [[Tarot cards|tarot]], "[[The Fool (Tarot card)|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==
===Buffoon===
{{redirect|Buffoon|the film|Buffoon (film)}}
{{See also|Goofball comedy|Absurd humour|Slapstick comedy}}
In a similar vein, a '''buffoon''' is someone who provides amusement through inappropriate appearance or behaviour. Originally the term was used to describe a ridiculous but amusing person. The term is now frequently used in a derogatory sense to describe someone considered foolish, or someone displaying inappropriately vulgar, bumbling or ridiculous behaviour which is a source of general amusement. The term originates from the old Italian "buffare", meaning to puff out one's cheeks<ref>{{cite book|page=780|title=Encyclopædia Britannica; or A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Miscellaneous Literature, Volume 4|publisher=Archibald Constable and Company|date=1823}}</ref> that also applies to [[bouffon]]. Having swelled their cheeks they would slap them to expel the air and produce a noise which amused the spectators.<ref>''The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge'' Vol.III, London (1847), Charles Knight, p.918</ref>

===Carnival and medieval reenactment===
During the Burgundian and the [[Rhenish]] [[carnival in the Netherlands|carnival]], cabaret performances in local dialect are held. In [[North Brabant|Brabant]] this person is called a "tonpraoter" or "sauwelaar", and is actually in or on a barrel. In [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]] they are named "buuttereedner" or "buutteredner" and in [[Zeeland]] they are called an "ouwoer". They all perform a cabaret speech in dialect, during which many current issues are reviewed. Often there are local situations and celebrities from local and regional politics who are mocked, ridiculed and insulted. The "Tonpraoter" or "Buuttereedner" may be considered successors of the jesters.<ref>{{cite web|author=Home Kalender Nieuws Zoekertjes Albums Copyright |url=http://www.fenvlaanderen.be/carnaval/wat-carnaval |title=Wat is carnaval? |website=Fen Vlaanderen |language=nl-BE |access-date=2014-01-23}}</ref>

==Notable jesters==
{{Main|List of jesters}}

===Historical===
* [[Triboulet]] (1479–1536), court jester of Kings Louis XII and Francis I of France
* [[Stańczyk]] (c. 1480–1560), Polish jester
* [[João de Sá Panasco]] ([[Floruit|fl]]. 1524–1567), African court jester of King [[John III of Portugal]], eventually elevated to gentleman courtier of the Royal Household and [[Military Order of Saint James of the Sword|Knight of St. James]]
* [[Jane Foole]] (c. 1543–1558), natural fool of [[Catherine Parr]] and [[Mary I of England]]
* [[Will Sommers]] (died 1560), court jester of King [[Henry VIII of England]]
* [[Chicot]] (c. 1540–1591), court jester of King [[Henry III of France]]
* [[Mathurine de Vallois]] (fl. 1589 – fl. 1627), court jester of [[Henry III of France]] and [[Henry IV of France]]
* [[Archibald Armstrong]] (died 1672), jester of King [[James I of England]]
* [[Jeffrey Hudson]] (1619–c. 1682), "court dwarf" of [[Henrietta Maria of France]]
* [[Jamie Fleeman]] (1713–1778), the Laird of Udny's Fool
* [[Perkeo of Heidelberg]], 18th century, jester of Prince [[Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine]]
* [[Portrait of Sebastian de Morra|Sebastian de Morra]], (died 1649) [[court dwarf]] and jester to King [[Philip IV of Spain]]
* [[The Jester Don Diego de Acedo|Don Diego de Acedo]], [[court dwarf]] and jester to [[Philip IV of Spain]]
* [[Roland the Farter|Roulandus le Fartere]], a medieval flatulist who lived in twelfth-century England

===Modern-day jesters===
* [[Jesse Bogdonoff]] (b. 1955), former court jester and financial advisor to King [[Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV|Taufa'ahau Tupou IV]] of [[Tonga]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=2003-08-11 |title=Tongan court jester faces trial |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3141297.stm |access-date=2023-10-17}}</ref><ref>Joel Gibson. (2006, September 23). Disgraced court jester no laughing matter. ''Sydney Morning Herald, The'', 17.</ref>
* [[Russel Erwood]] (b. 1981), known as Erwyd le Fol, is the 2nd official resident jester of [[Conwy]] in [[North Wales]] replacing the jester of 1295<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-33551689|title=Conwy jester to take new job 'seriously'|date=2015-07-16|newspaper=BBC News|language=en-GB|access-date=2016-10-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/bristol-juggler-north-wales-town-s-official/story-27443862-detail/story.html|title=Bristol juggler to become North Wales town's first official jester in 700 years|date=2015-07-19|newspaper=Bristol Post|access-date=2016-10-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150818002038/http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Bristol-juggler-North-Wales-town-s-official/story-27443862-detail/story.html|archive-date=2015-08-18}}</ref>

===Fictional jesters===
*Rigoletto – eponymous jester to the [[List of rulers of Mantua#Dukes of Mantua (1530–1708)|Duke of Mantua]] in [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s 1851 opera ''[[Rigoletto]]''
*[[Yorick]] – dead court jester in [[William Shakespeare]]'s play ''[[Hamlet]]''
*[[Puck (A Midsummer Night's Dream)|Puck]] – court jester to the king of the fairies, [[Oberon]] in Shakespeare's ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]''
*Jack Point – a 'strolling jester' in [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]'s 1888 [[Savoy Opera]], ''[[The Yeomen of the Guard]]''
*Nights – protagonist in the 1996 video game ''[[Nights into Dreams]]''
*Dimentio – antagonist in the 2007 video game ''[[Super Paper Mario]]''
*Jimbo - mascot in the indie game ''[[Balatro]]''
*Cicero - assassin jester from [[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim]]
*Pomni – protagonist in the adult animated web series ''[[The Amazing Digital Circus]]''

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Jester - Lancelot.JPG|Illumination from a French ''[[Lancelot]]'' manuscript, c. 1470 (detail)
File:Jester Knight Christoph by Hans Wertinger (1515, Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid).jpg|''Jester Knight Christoph by Hans Wertinger'', 1515 (Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid)
File:WillSommers engraving 300dpi.jpg|[[Henry VIII]]'s jester [[Will Sommers]], engraving by Francis Delaram, c. 1615/24
File:Anthonis van Dyck 013.jpg|''Queen Henrietta Maria with Sir Jeffrey Hudson'' by [[Van Dyck]], 1633
File:Hinric Hasenberger, the Court Jester (David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl) - Nationalmuseum - 18637.tif|''Hinric Hasenberger, the Court Jester'' by [[David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl]], 1652
File:John Dawson Watson - Friends in Council.jpg|[[John Dawson Watson]] (1832–1892), ''Friends in Council''
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Hofnar van de Soesoehoenan die meedanst in de 'Garebeg Moeloed' optocht Java TMnr 10003339.jpg|[[Susuhunan]] jester participating in the Garebeg Moeloed procession, [[Java]] (Indonesia), c. 1920s
File:The court jester of tabbyland.jpg|''The Court Jester of Tabbyland''
File:Olina Ventsel (Jester-doll).jpg|Jester-doll made by Olina Ventsel (1938–2007)
File:VSAN Wgt 2015 476 Markdorf.jpg|Jester in [[Weingarten, Württemberg|Weingarten]], Germany, in 2015
File:"The Court Jester" (4540421737).jpg|Mr. Arthur Price, selected as "The Court Jester" at the [[Pageant of Empire]] in 1909
File:Laughing Fool MET DP820707.jpg|''Laughing Fool'' by [[Werner van den Valckert]], circa 1612
File:Anonymous German, 16th century - Large Head of a Jester - Google Art Project.jpg|Large head of a jester, anonymous German engraving, 16th century
File:Jean Fouquet, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Gemäldegalerie - Der ferraresische Hofnarr Gonella - GG 1840 - Kunsthistorisches Museum.jpg|Portrait of the ''Ferrara Court Jester Gonella'' by [[Jean Fouquet]] 1445
File:William Merritt Chase Keying up.jpg|''Keying Up'' – ''The Court Jester'' by [[William Merritt Chase]], 1875
File:Jester-Costume.jpg|Man dressed as a jester, with a fool's cap, motley and white tights.
File:Jester on carnival float (cropped).jpg|Jester on carnival float
File:The Jester - geograph.org.uk - 5926991.jpg|''The Jester'', a sculpture in [[Stratford-upon-Avon]]
File:Jester 20071028 Manga Expo.jpg|A jester at Manga Expo 2007 (Paris, France)
File:Hungarian female jester on the playing card of the Vienna court.jpg|Hungarian female jester on the playing card of the Vienna court
File:The court jester (1906) (14566713159).jpg|''The court jester'' (1906)
File:Jester Moment - geograph.org.uk - 5279310.jpg|''Jester Moment''
File:The Court Jester by John Watson Nicol.jpg|''The Court Jester'' by John Watson Nicol
File:The Jester - geograph.org.uk - 4921524.jpg|A man dressed as a jester
File:Troccas-0-der-narr (Vordergrundextraktion).jpg|The Fool's tarot, between 1831 and 1838
File:Laughing Fool.jpg|''Laughing Jester'', unknown [[Early Netherlandish]] artist (possibly [[Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen]]), c. 1500
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Comedy}}
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* {{annotated link|Basil Fool for Christ}}
* {{annotated link|Chou role}}
* {{annotated link|Clown society}}
* {{annotated link|Drollery}}
* [[Fool (stock character)]]
* [[Fool's literature]]
* [[Foolishness for Christ]]
* {{annotated link|Fools Guild}}
* [[Harlequin]]
* {{annotated link|Heyoka}}
* [[Joker (playing card)]]
* {{annotated link|King Momo}}
* {{annotated link|Madame d'Or}}
* [[Master of the Revels]]
* [[Mime]]
* [[Pierrot]]
* {{annotated link|Pueblo clown}}
* {{annotated link|Punakawan}}
* {{annotated link|Scaramouche}}
* {{annotated link|Silly Billy}}
* {{annotated link|Skomorokh}}
{{div col end}}
{{Clear}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==References==
* Billington, Sandra ''A Social History of the Fool'', The Harvester Press, 1984. {{ISBN|0-7108-0610-8}}
* [[John Doran (writer)|Doran, John]] [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001277686 ''A History of Court Fools''], 1858
* [[Conrad Hyers|Hyers, M. Conrad]], ''The Spirituality of Comedy: comic heroism in a tragic world'' 1996 Transaction Publishers {{ISBN|1-56000-218-2}}
*McCusker, S. "Pedagogy of the Clown: Clowning Principles in Education." Springer Nature.2023.
* Otto, Beatrice K., "''Fools Are Everywhere: The Court Jester Around the World''," Chicago University Press, 2001
* Southworth, John, ''Fools and Jesters at the English Court'', Sutton Publishing, 1998. {{ISBN|0-7509-1773-3}}
* Swain, Barbara. "Fools and Folly During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance" Columbia University Press, 1932.
* [[Enid Welsford|Welsford, Enid]]: ''The Fool : His Social and Literary History'' (out of print) (1935 + subsequent reprints): {{ISBN|1-299-14274-5}}
* Janik, Vicki K. (ed.) (1998). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=yLtoRB9Wy-sC Fools and Jesters in Literature, Art, and History: A Bio-bibliographical Sourcebook]''. Greenwood Publishing Group, USA. {{ISBN|0-313-29785-1}}.
* {{SmithDGRA|author=[[Alexander Allen (writer)|Alexander Allen]]|article=Balatro|page=183}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Jesters}}
{{wiktionary|jester|buffoon}}
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Fool}}
* [http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/640914.html Fooling Around the World (A history of the court jester)]
* [http://www.larsdatter.com/foolwear.htm Foolish Clothing: Depictions of Jesters and Fools in the Middle Ages and Renaissance] What 14th-16th century jesters wore and carried, as seen in illustrations and museum collections.
* [http://statenisland.pastperfect-online.com/00039cgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=15708631-34B3-4FFD-91EE-550322395790;type=101 Costume (Jester Hat), ca. 1890-1920, in the Staten Island Historical Society Online Collection Database]

{{Humor and wit characters}}
{{Clowns}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Entertainment occupations]]
[[Category:Jesters]]
[[Category:Medieval performers]]
[[Category:Jungian archetypes]]