When we think of a jester, it conjures up a man dressed up in a ridiculous outfit of gaudy colors and a funny hat, with bells atop three points sticking out of it. Visions of a smallish man running around and acting, well, like a fool, pop up in our minds. But there was so much more to the life and duties of a court jester than we think. Let’s take a quick look at what the role of these men (and women) were.
Not all jesters dressed alike, but observers noticed they wore the classic jester’s costume of a hood with ears and multi-colored tunics, with tinker bells attached to their shoes or clothes. The most iconic part of the costume is the fool’s hat. Three points with bells grew out of the cap around the top of the head and ears, representing an ass’s ears and tails.
The most important prop of the jester was a scepter, just as a king would carry at court. Fool’s scepters were shorter wooden versions with a carved miniature head on the end. The carver often carved the face of the head into unique looks, but it was most often a look-alike of the fool or the monarch.
At the core, the court jester was about entertainment. Fools performed with a variety of skills, including song, music, storytelling, acrobatics, juggling, jokes, and magic tricks. When court was not in session, they would often take their “show” on the road and perform in nearby towns and villages, often gathering news to pass along at the next stop. They delivered this news to their audience through jokes in word or song, often about people or events well known to their audiences.
These jokers were an important part of the royal household. One aspect of their role was the “Jester’s Privilege” which translated into 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. As described earlier, the crown (cap and bells) and scepter mirrored the royal crown and scepter wielded by a monarch.
However, the jester’s gig wasn’t all “fun and games.” Often they were required to ride with the king’s army at the front to provide psychological warfare. Their job was to provoke or mock the enemy, and even serve as messengers. When delivering messages to the enemy, the opposing army occasionally played the trick on the jester. If the enemy wasn’t keen on the message, they might cut off the head of the jester or send his entire body back to his camp via a catapult, an act that took tumbling to another level!
Often, the fool had the king’s ear, advising on decisions faced by the monarch. The jester might also bring petitions before the throne. Fools became the de facto deliverer of bad news due in part because of their comedic touch. The courtiers hoped this method would make the bad news more palatable to the ruler. The king often rewarded fools who performed well in their jobs with a hefty salary or granted them land. But on the “flip” side, if the monarch wearied of the act or the fool went too far in mocking others, they might have to take their act on the road permanently.
Overall, we’ve seen the jester’s role was more than just running around playing the fool. They held a position of importance in the royal household, had the king’s ear, and were multi-talented entertainers who performed at court and other special events. So next time you think of the cap and bells, remember the fool was nobody’s fool.