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). His daughter Mary was entertained by Jane Foole. Henry VIII of England employed a jester named Will Sommers. They played an important part in raising their own army's spirits by singing songs and reciting stories. Jesters would ride in front of their troops, provoke or mock the enemy, and even serve as messengers. Jesters were also occasionally used as psychological warfare. Fool Societies, or groups of nomadic entertainers, were often hired to perform acrobatics and juggling. Entertainment included music, storytelling, and physical comedy. Many royal courts throughout English royal history employed entertainers and most had professional fools, sometimes called "licensed fools". Other cultures such as the Aztecs and the Chinese employed cultural equivalents to the jester. 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. In ancient Rome, a similar tradition of professional jesters were called balatrones. 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. Other earlier terms included fol, disour, buffoon, and bourder. This modern term derives from the older form gestour, or jestour, originally from Anglo-Norman (French) meaning 'storyteller' or ' minstrel'. The modern use of the English word jester did not come into use until the mid-16th century, during Tudor times. Many jesters made contemporary jokes in word or song about people or events well known to their audiences. Much of the entertainment was performed in a comic style. 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, stereotypes, and imitation), and performing magic tricks. Their modern counterparts usually mimic this costume. Jesters were also itinerant 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.ĭuring the Middle Ages, jesters are often thought to have worn brightly colored clothes and eccentric hats in a motley pattern. JesterĪ jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. For other uses, see Jester (disambiguation) and Court jester (disambiguation).
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