The use of fools, clowns and jesters, as stock characters, dates back to the naissance of theatre and beyond. At first glance, the purpose of these characters is to entertain and amuse. However, the role of the ‘fool’ has, and has always had, social and political importance. This is, arguably, evidenced most strongly in Shakespeare’s use of the archetype.
What Are The Characteristics of Shakespeare’s Fools?
Shakespearean fools all have something in common: they are all commoners; ordinary, working class folk, who are deemed as being of the ‘lower order’ and usually work directly or indirectly for the play’s principle characters. For example, Romeo and Juliet’s Peter is a servant of the Nurse.
Some of them, however, can be described as professional fools; hired specifically as clowns. For instance, The Fool in King Lear or Feste in Twelfth Night, who’s jobs it is to amuse their employers.
However, unlike jesters of old, Shakespeare’s domestic fools did not inspire mirth by playing the simpleton or employing physical clowning skills, such as pratfalls, juggling and tumbling. Instead, Shakespearean fools make witty, profound observations (usually in riddles) about the themes of the play and its characters. Often, the fool, who is a downtrodden everyman, is the most intelligent and insightful character in the play.
Shakespearean Fools in Tragedy
You would be forgiven for thinking that the ‘fool’ has no role in tragedy. After all, to a modern audience the appearance of The Gravediggers in Hamlet or The Porter in Macbeth seems incongruous to say the least. However, many of Shakespeare’s tragedies contain fools.
- The Gravediggers in Hamlet
- Citizen and Commoners in Julius Caesar
- The Fool in King Lear
- The Porter in Macbeth
- Clown in Othello
- Peter in Romeo and Juliet
- A Fool in Timon of Athens
- Thersites in Troilus and Cressida
In Shakespearean tragedies, the fool often appears after some horrific or gruesome event. For example, The Porter gives his “knocking at the gate” soliloquy directly after the murder of Duncan. Some scholars believe that these scenes are fashioned for comic relief and, therefore, offer a brief respite from the heavy themes of the play.
However, this theory is disputed by those who believe that these scenes are designed to create a greater depth of understanding, by reminding the audience that they are watching a play and transferring its focus from the fictional world to reality.
Thereby, according to some scholars, Shakespeare allows audience members to relate the more unsettling themes of the play to their own lives. The Gravediggers’ conversation about the moral and religious consequences of suicide, directly after the death of Ophelia, could be used to support this argument.
Shakespearean Fools in Comedy
Similarly, in Shakespeare’s comedies, fools are often used to encourage a more serious examination of the situations, themes and characters of a play. Paradoxically, fools not only amuse and entertain, but also prompt an audience to ponder serious social, religious and political views. An example of this can be found in the conversation between Olivia and Feste in Twelfth Night, during which Feste questions the nature of mourning, “The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother’s soul being in heaven.”(I.v)
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are more fools to be found in Shakespeare’s comedies and those problem plays, such as The Merchant of Venice, that were originally categorized as comedies:
- Lavanche in Alls Well That Ends Well
- Touchstone in As You Like It
- The Dromios in The Comedy of Errors
- Costard in Love’s Labour’s Lost
- Pompey in Measure for Measure
- Launcelot in The Merchant of Venice
- Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Grumio in The Taming of The Shrew
- Trinculo in The Tempest
- Feste in Twelfth Night
- Speed in The Two Gentlemen of Verona
- Launce in The Two Gentlemen of Verona
- Clown in The Winter’s Tale
While it is true that the modern interpretation of ‘clown’ and the pre-Shakespearean view of a jester are very different from Shakespeare’s fools, many of his comedic characters display clownish features, such as the slapstick of the Dromio twins in The Comedy of Errors.
Comedic fools, like their tragic counterparts, often have a much more simplistic, almost childlike, view of the world. The uncomplicated innocence is, of course, belied by extremely savvy, worldly-wise observations. These views are shared with the audience and are, usually, used to highlight the absurdity of the plays.
Comedy has always been an essential tool in challenging perceptions, societies and styles of leadership. Of course, fools of all kinds have played an important function within this. However, Shakespearean fools took the theory to a new level.
The great irony, of course, is that there is absolutely nothing foolish about any of Shakespeare’s fools.
Source and Further Reading
- Bell, R., Shakespeare’s Great Stage of Fools
- Shakespeare. W., The Complete Works
- Shea J., ‘August Wilson’s Shakespearean Fools’ (accessed December, 2011)
Samantha Markham - Samantha Markham is a professional freelance writer with a particular passion for literary and theatrical subjects.
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