jester A 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. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...

is a person who entertains using varied skills. These may include one or more of skills such as music, storytelling, juggling, acrobatics, joke telling and other similar skills. There have been many examples of jesters in history, fiction, and other mediums.

In history

Archibald Armstrong Archibald Armstrong (died March 1672), court jester, called "Archy", was a native of Cumberland, and according to tradition first distinguished himself as a sheep thief; afterwards he entered the service of James VI, with whom he became a favourit ...

(died 1672), jester of

James VI James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

Raja Birbal ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested fr ...

(c. 16th century), Indian jester of Emperor

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

Jesse Bogdonoff Jesse Bogdonoff (born April 1, 1955) is a former Bank of America financial advisor to the government of Tonga and court jester of Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, the king of Tonga. He was embroiled in a financial scandal. Scandal Bogdonoff made headlines i ...

(b. 1955), court jester and financial advisor of

Taufa'ahau Tupou IV George Tupou I (4 December 1797 – 18 February 1893), originally known as Tāufaʻāhau I, was the first king of modern Tonga. He adopted the name Siaosi (originally Jiaoji), the Tongan equivalent of ''George'', after King George III of the U ...

* Chicot (c. 1540–1591), jester of

Henry III of France Henry III (french: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; pl, Henryk Walezy; lt, Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of ...

* Joan d'Acosta (c. 1665– c. 1740), jester of

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

Tom Durie Tom Durie, Duri, Dury or Derry ( fl. 1600–1620) was a Scottish fool or entertainer to Anne of Denmark. Career Tom Durie appears on record at the Scottish court in May 1603, when he was bought clothes to accompany Anne of Denmark on her journey ...

, jester of

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...

(d. 1619). *

Roland the Farter Roland the Farter (known in contemporary records as Roland le Fartere, Roulandus le Fartere or Roland le Petour) was a medieval flatulist who lived in twelfth-century England. Roland the Farter's given name was George. He was given Hemingstone mano ...

, 12th Century jester of

Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...

Lucretia the Tumbler Lucretia the Tumbler, also known as Lucrece the Tumbler and Lucrecia the Tumbler ( fl. 1542), was a court jester in the court of Mary I of England. Lucretia was employed as a chamberer to Princess Mary. She was a member of her household from at l ...

, jester of Queen

Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...

Jane Foole Jane Foole, also known as Jane The Foole, Jane, The Queen's Fool, "Jeannne le Fol" or "Jane Hir Fole" ( fl. 1543–1558), was an English court jester. She was the jester of queens Catherine Parr and Mary I, and possibly also of Anne Boleyn. Tod ...

(died after 1558), jester of Queens

Catherine Parr Catherine Parr (sometimes alternatively spelled Katherine, Katheryn, Kateryn, or Katharine; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until ...

and Mary I * Maître Guillaume (employed in 1620 at the same time as Mathurine de Vallois) *

Tenali Ramakrishna Tenali Ramakrishna (born Garlapati Ramakrishna; also known as Tenali Rama) was an Indian poet, scholar, thinker and a special advisor in the court of the Vijayanagar king Krishnadevaraya, who ruled from C.E. 1509 to 1529. He was a Telugu poet ...

(c. 16th century), Indian jester of Emperor

Krishnadevaraya Krishnadevaraya (17 January 1471 – 17 October 1529) was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Empire, reigning from 1509 to 1529. He was the third monarch of the Tuluva dynasty, and is considered to be one of the g ...

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hinduism, Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana an ...

Stańczyk Stańczyk (c. 1480–1560) () was a Polish court jester, the most famous in Polish history. He was employed by three Polish kings: Alexander, Sigismund the Old and Sigismund Augustus. Name, identity and historicity Scarcity of sources gave ...

(c. 1480–1560), Polish jester *

William Sommers William Sommers (or Somers; died 15 June 1560) was the best-known court jester of Henry VIII of England. Early life He was said to have been born in Shropshire, and came to the attention of Richard Fermor, a merchant of the Staple at Calais, w ...

(died 1560), jester of

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

João de Sá Panasco João de Sá ( fl. 1524–1567), known as Panasco (a nickname that meant rudeness as revealed by clothes or manners), was a black African in the employ of King John III of Portugal, who was eventually elevated from court jester to gentleman courtie ...

( fl. 1524-1567), jester of

John III of Portugal John III ( pt, João III ; 7 June 1502 – 11 June 1557), nicknamed The Pious (Portuguese: ''o Piedoso''), was the King of Portugal and the Algarves from 1521 until his death in 1557. He was the son of King Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, the thi ...

* John Pace (c.1523–c.1590), jester of the

Duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...

and queen

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...

Triboulet Nicolas Ferrial (1479–1536), also known as Le Févrial or Triboulet, was a jester for kings Louis XII and Francis I of France. He appears in Book 3 of François Rabelais' Pantagrueline chronicles. He also appears in Victor Hugo's ''Le Roi s ...

(1479–1536), jester of kings

Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the tim ...

and

Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...

* Madame d'Or, (d. after 1429), was a French

court dwarf Some of the first dwarfs to have their histories recorded were employed as court dwarfs. They were owned and traded amongst people of the court, and delivered as gifts to fellow kings and queens. Visual effect Court dwarfs were made to stand rig ...

jester *

Mathurine de Vallois Mathurine de Vallois, also known as Mathurine la Folle ('Mathurine the Fool') ( fl. 1589 – fl. 1627), was a French jester. She was the jester of the court of French kings Henry III, Henry IV and Louis XIII, successively. Mathurine is noted in t ...

a.k.a. Mathurine la Folle (Mathurine the Fool), late 1500s to early 1600s, jestress to

Henry IV of France Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...

and others, helped catch would-be assassin

Jean Châtel Jean Châtel (1575 – 29 December 1594) attempted to assassinate King Henry IV of France on 27 December 1594. He was the son of a cloth merchant and was aged 19 when executed on 29 December. On 27 December 1594, Châtel managed to gain entry t ...

* Nichola, jester to

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

in the 1560s *

Jeffrey Hudson Jeffrey Hudson (1619 – ''circa'' 1682) was a court dwarf of the English queen Henrietta Maria of France. He was famous as the "Queen's dwarf" and "Lord Minimus", and was considered one of the "wonders of the age" because of his extreme but ...

(1619–c. 1682), "

" of

Henrietta Maria of France Henrietta Maria (french: link=no, Henriette Marie; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until Charles was executed on 30 January 1649. She wa ...

Jamie Fleeman Jamie Fleeman or Fleeming (1713–1778) was better known as "the Laird of Udny's Fool" or "the Laird of Udny's Fule" in the Scots language. Although described as a fool, he had a reputation for his clever, witty repartee and many anecdotal tales ...

(1713–1778), the Laird of Udny's Fool *

Perkeo of Heidelberg Perkeo of Heidelberg (born Clemens Pankert, according to other sources Giovanni Clementi; 1702–1735) was a notable jester and court dwarf of Elector Palatine Charles III Philip in Heidelberg. As guardian of the Great Heidelberg Tun, he has si ...

, 18th Century jester of Prince

Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine Charles III Philip (4 November 1661 – 31 December 1742) was Elector Palatine, Count of Palatinate-Neuburg, and Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1716 to 1742. Until 1728 he was also Count of Megen. Biography Born in Neuburg an der Donau, Charles Phi ...

* Russel Erwood (b. 1981), 2nd official resident jester of

Conwy Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy on ...

North Wales , area_land_km2 = 6,172 , postal_code_type = Postcode , postal_code = LL, CH, SY , image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg , map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...

replacing the jester of 1295

In writing and theatre

*In Shakespeare: see

Shakespearian fool 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 si ...

*Pocket, King Lear's fool in Christopher Moore's novel ''

Fool Fool, The Fool, or Fools may refer to: *A jester, also called a ''fool'', a type of historical entertainer known for their witty jokes *An insult referring to someone of low intelligence or easy gullibility Arts, entertainment and media Fictio ...

'', which retells the story of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

. *Wamba, Jester in

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

's Novel ''

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...

''. *

Dagonet Sir Dagonet (also known as Daguenet and other spellings) is a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. His depictions and characterisations have varied from a foolish and cowardly knight, to a violently deranged madman, to the now-iconic ...

, jester to

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

in medieval romances *Jack Point, tragic jester in ''

The Yeomen of the Guard ''The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid'', is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888 and ran for 423 performances. This was the eleventh ...

'' by

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

Hop-Frog "Hop-Frog" (originally "Hop-Frog; Or, the Eight Chained Ourang-Outangs") is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1849. The title character, a person with dwarfism taken from his homeland, becomes the jester of a kin ...

, in the eponymous short story by

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

. *Towser, jester to King John the Presbyter in ''

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn ''Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn'' is a trilogy of epic fantasy novels by American writer Tad Williams, comprising ''The Dragonbone Chair'' (1988), ''Stone of Farewell'' (1990), and ''To Green Angel Tower'' (1993). ''Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn'' takes ...

'' by

Tad Williams Robert Paul "Tad" Williams (born March 14, 1957) is an American fantasy and science fiction writer. He is the author of the multivolume ''Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn'' series, ''Otherland'' series, and ''Shadowmarch'' series as well as the standal ...

*Mr Harley Quin, in the

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

collection ''

The Mysterious Mr Quin ''The Mysterious Mr Quin'' is a short story collection by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by William Collins, Sons, William Collins & Sons on 14 April 1930 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same yea ...

'' is a modernised version of the "

wise fool The wise fool, or the wisdom of the fool, is a form of literary paradox in which through a narrative a character recognized as a fool comes to be seen as a beholder of wisdom. A recognizable trope found in stories and artworks from antiquity to ...

" who helps others see the truth. *The anarchic

Jerry Cornelius Jerry Cornelius is a fictional character created by English author Michael Moorcock. The character is an urban adventurer and an incarnation of the author's Eternal Champion concept. Cornelius is a hipster of ambiguous and occasionally polymorphous ...

, often shown as a jester figure. * The Jester, 2003 novel by

James Patterson James Brendan Patterson (born March 22, 1947) is an American author. Among his works are the ''Alex Cross'', '' Michael Bennett'', '' Women's Murder Club'', ''Maximum Ride'', '' Daniel X'', '' NYPD Red'', '' Witch & Wizard'', and ''Private'' se ...

and

Andrew Gross Andrew Gross (born 1952) is an American author of thriller novels including four ''New York Times'' bestsellers. He is best known for his collaborations with suspense writer James Patterson. Gross's books feature close family bonds, relationships ...

. * The Fool, court jester in

Robin Hobb Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden (born March 5, 1952), known by her pen names Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm, is an American writer of speculative fiction. As Hobb, she is best known for her fantasy novels set in the ''Realm of the Elderlings'', w ...

's ''

The Realm of the Elderlings This is a complete list of works by American author Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden, who writes under the pen names Megan Lindholm and Robin Hobb. Writing as Megan Lindholm Novels Short fiction Writing as Robin Hobb Novels Short fiction ...

'' books. *

The Queen's Fool ''The Queen's Fool'' by Philippa Gregory is a 2003 historical fiction novel. Set between 1548 and 1558, it is part of Philippa Gregory's Tudor series. The series includes ''The Boleyn Inheritance''. The novel chronicles the changing fortunes of ...

, novel by

Philippa Gregory Philippa Gregory (born 9 January 1954) is an English historical novelist who has been publishing since 1987. The best known of her works is ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2001), which in 2002 won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Roman ...

, centers around the life of a young "holy fool" named Hannah, who happens to work with and befriend

(Will), the former fool/jester of

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...

. *The Jester is a central character in many of the plays of

Dario Fo Dario Luigi Angelo Fo (; 24 March 1926 – 13 October 2016) was an Italian playwright, actor, theatre director, stage designer, songwriter, political campaigner for the Italian left wing and the recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature. I ...

. *Rigoletto, Duke of Mantua's jester in

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

's opera

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play ''Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had cont ...

*"Bear", Jester on Crispin: Cross of Lead *

Till Eulenspiegel Till Eulenspiegel (; nds, Dyl Ulenspegel ) is the protagonist of a German chapbook published in 1515 (a first edition of ca. 1510/12 is preserved fragmentarily) with a possible background in earlier Middle Low German folklore. Eulenspiegel is ...

, impudent trickster figure originating in Middle Low German folklore. * Heartless, novel by

Marissa Meyer Marissa Meyer (born February 19, 1984) is an American novelist. Her debut novel, ''Cinder (novel), Cinder,'' was released on January 3, 2012. It is the first in her series ''The Lunar Chronicles''. Early life and education Meyer was born in Ta ...

has a character Jest who is a fool/jester and magician in Wonderland, the Rook of Chess.

In film and television

Clopin Clopin Trouillefou (, literally "Lame Fear-Fool") is a fictional character first created in the 1831 novel ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' by French author Victor Hugo, and subsequently adapted. In the novel In the story, Clopin disrupts Pierre ...

, mischievous leader of the gypsies who will defend his people at all costs in the film

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film) ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' is a 1996 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 34th Disney animated feature film and the seventh produced during the Disney ...

. He introduces the audience as a jester to the story, explaining how

Quasimodo Quasimodo (from Quasimodo Sunday) is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the novel ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (1831) by Victor Hugo. Quasimodo was born with a hunchback and feared by the townspeople as a sort of monster, but h ...

, the bell ringer from Notre Dame, got to be there. Michael Surrey served as the supervising animator for Clopin. *Giacomo "King of Jesters, and Jester of Kings" was a famous traveling jester in the 1956

film musical Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

The Court Jester ''The Court Jester'' is a 1955 musical-comedy, medieval romance, costume drama film starring Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury and Cecil Parker. The movie was written, produced, and directed by Melvin Frank and Norman ...

''. His character was actually incapacitated early in the plot, and is never heard from again, but a member of an underground group, Hubert Hawkins, played by

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; yi, דוד־דניאל קאַמינסקי; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and ...

, assumes Giacomo's identity in order to get into the King's castle. *Timothy Claypole, character in the BBC children's television comedy programme

Rentaghost ''Rentaghost'' is a British children's television comedy show, originally broadcast by the BBC between 6 January 1976 and 6 November 1984. The show's plot centred on the antics of a number of ghosts who worked for a firm called Rentaghost, which ...

of the 1970s/80s, was a jester (played by

Michael Staniforth Michael Peter Staniforth (15 December 1942 – 31 July 1987), born in Selly Oak, Birmingham, was a British stage actor. Life Staniforth's father was a sergeant major in the Army and so Michael's childhood was spent with his family in Germany, E ...

). *The Photojournalist from

Apocalypse Now ''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius and Michael Herr, is loosely based on the 1899 novella ''Heart of Darkness'' by Joseph Conr ...

is often seen as a harlequin figure. In the novel

Heart of Darkness ''Heart of Darkness'' (1899) is a novella by Polish-English novelist Joseph Conrad in which the sailor Charles Marlow tells his listeners the story of his assignment as steamer captain for a Belgian company in the African interior. The novel ...

the character of Marlowe meets a Russian wanderer whose clothes have been made from patches of various garments sewn together, giving him the appearance of a harlequin. The Russian has developed a fanatic admiration for Kurtz. In the film actor Dennis Hopper portrays this fanaticism as being mixed with the 1960s counter-culture spirit of the Vietnam era. *Funnyman, A UK horror movie about a demonic jester, The Funny Man, with a varied and imaginative repertoire of homicidal techniques and an irreverent sense of humour. *Jester, Court jester of King Cradock in the TV series

Jane and the Dragon ''Jane and the Dragon'' is a series of children's books written and illustrated by Martin Baynton. The original trilogy consists of ''Jane and the Dragon'' (1988), ''The Dragon's Purpose'' (1989), and ''Jane and the Magician'' (2000). In 2008 ...

. *''

Jester A 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. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...

'', the

Harlequin Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque dialect, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the ''zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian language, Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city o ...

puppet in the '' Puppet Master'' films *In the children's adventure game show

Knightmare ''Knightmare'' is a British children's adventure game show, created by Tim Child, and broadcast over eight series on CITV from 7 September 1987 to 11 November 1994. The general format of the show is of a team of four children – one who take ...

there were two jesters, Folly and Motley. *Kyoami, in

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

's film

Ran Ran, RaN and ran may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ran'' (film), a 1985 film directed by Akira Kurosawa * "Ran" (song), a 2013 Japanese song by Luna Sea * '' Ran Online'', a 2004 MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game) * ...

In comic books and animation

*In the

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

comic a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...

Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superher ...

, The Jester is the alter-ego of villain Jonathan Powers, who appears between issues #47 and 49. * The Jester is a superhero in the

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

universe. *QuackerJack, a vicious jester with a weird obsession for toys in

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's animated series ''

Darkwing Duck ''Darkwing Duck'' is an American animated superhero comedy television series produced by Disney Television Animation (formerly Walt Disney Television Animation) that first ran from 1991 to 1992 on both the syndicated programming block ''The Disn ...

''. *In the

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...

film ''

The Hunchback of Notre Dame ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. It focuses on the unfortunate story o ...

'', the

narrator Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the a ...

, and rather fundamental character, was

, a jester. *Merryman, leader of the

Inferior Five The Inferior Five (or I5) are a parody superhero team appearing in books by the American publisher DC Comics. Created by writer E. Nelson Bridwell and artist Joe Orlando, the team premiered in the DC Comics title ''Showcase (comic book), Showcase ...

, wears a jester costume. *Maytag, in the webcomic Flipside is a jester. She is normally very timid, but takes on the normal jester stereotype when she wears her cap 'n bells. *Allen Walker, in the

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

and

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

D.Gray-man ''D.Gray-man'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Katsura Hoshino. Set in an alternate 19th century, it tells the story of a young Allen Walker, who joins an organization of exorcists named the Black Order. They use an an ...

'', is given the title Crown Clown, also known as God's Clown, and carries a jester's mask. *The DC Comics villain

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn is a character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as a comic relief henchwoman for the supervillain Joker (character), Joker in ''Batman: The An ...

derives her name and look from a

harlequin Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque dialect, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the ''zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian language, Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city o ...

jester. To a lesser extent, her boss,

the Joker The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, and first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book ''Batman (comic book), Bat ...

was based on a Jester from a Joker playing card. *Squidly, a squid jester from

SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It chronicles the adventures of the title character a ...

, is found in the episode "Dunces and Dragons". *Spinel, a gem from Steven Universe: The Movie and

Steven Universe Future ''Steven Universe Future'' is an American animated limited series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It serves as an epilogue to the 2013–2019 original series ''Steven Universe'' and its follow-up 2019 animated film '' Steven Univers ...

. She was abandoned by Pink Diamond and left in the garden they used to play in for 6,000 years, causing her to break down and become insane when she found out about Pink Diamond's fate. Her bouncy animations are heavily sourced from

rubber hose animation Rubber hose animation was the first animation style that became standardized in the American animation field. The defining feature is the curving motion most things possess, resembling that of a rubber hose. While the style fell out of fashion ...

. *Fizzarolli, a club jester from

Helluva Boss ''Helluva Boss'' is an American adult animation, adult animated web series created by Vivienne Medrano, Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. It revolves around the misadventures of the employees of I.M.P., an assassination company in Hell. The pilot wa ...

. He works for

Asmodeus Asmodeus (; grc, Ἀσμοδαῖος, ''Asmodaios'') or Ashmedai (; he, אַשְמְדּאָי, ''ʾAšmədʾāy''; see below for other variations), is a ''prince of demons'' and hell."Asmodeus" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chica ...

, owner of the popular club Ozzie’s, in the Lust Ring of Hell. *Jester Brothers, from

The Glo Friends ''The Glo Friends'' is an American television series that originally aired in 1986 as a segment of ''My Little Pony 'n Friends''. Produced by Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions in collaboration with Toei Animation, the 26 segments of ''Glo ...

is a pair of pink fire ants who often gets in trouble by their own jokes. *Rascal/Joker, from

Smile Precure is a 2012 Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation and the ninth installment in Izumi Todo's ''Pretty Cure'' metaseries, featuring the seventh generation of Cures. The series is written by Shōji Yonemura, who is best kn ...

. He is a sadistic character who loves to have fun and watch others fear. His only goal is to help Emperor Nogo to destroy Jubaland.

In video games

*Marx – jester from Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra. *Jester is a character class in the MMORPG ''

Flyff ''Flyff'' (short for ''Fly for Fun'') is a fantasy MMORPG by Korean development company Gala Lab (formerly Aeonsoft & nFlavor). Flyff is hosted in 13 countries and 10 languages and has over 30 million registered accounts. Development In Decem ...

'' and in the RPGs '' Gauntlet: Dark Legacy'' and ''

Darkest Dungeon ''Darkest Dungeon'' is a roguelite role-playing video game developed and published by Red Hook Studios. The game was first released for Microsoft Windows and OS X in January 2016, which followed a year-long early access development period. Later ...

''. *Malcolm – mad jester of ''

The Legend of Kyrandia ''The Legend of Kyrandia: Book One'' is a 2D point-and-click adventure game, and the first game in the ''Fables & Fiends'' series. It was developed by Westwood Studios and published by Virgin Games in August 1992. Players take on the role of a yo ...

adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or Puzzle video game, puzzle-solving. The Video game genres, genre's focus on story allows it to draw ...

s *Fargus – in the

platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...

Pandemonium. * Harle – character in ''

Chrono Cross is a 1999 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is set in the same world as ''Chrono Trigger'', which was released in 1995 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. ''Chrono C ...

'' who jests at expense of reality itself. *Dhoulmagus – evil jester in the ''

Dragon Quest VIII A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often ...

'' game by

Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...

. *

Dragon Quest III ''Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation'', titled ''Dragon Warrior III'' when initially localized to North America, is a 1988 role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix. It is the third installment in the '' Dragon ...

– contains a Jester character class. In the American version of the game, the character class is renamed to Goof-off. *Hecklar – insane and sadistic court jester in Kronos Digital's fighting game ''

Cardinal Syn ''Cardinal Syn'' is a fighting video game developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment, the creators of '' Criticom'' and ''Dark Rift'', and published by Sony in 1998. Gameplay ''Cardinal Syn'' is 3D fighting game with free roaming features tha ...

''. *A nameless jester helps and hinders the player in the

Infocom Infocom was an American software company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of interactive fiction. They also produced a business application, a relational database called ''Cornerstone (software), Cornerstone''. ...

game ''

Zork Zero ''Zork Zero: The Revenge of Megaboz'' is an interactive fiction computer game, written by Steve Meretzky over nearly 18 months and published by Infocom in 1988. Although it is the ninth and last ''Zork'' game released by Infocom before the company ...

''. *Jester – an alter-ego of Arkham, in ''

Devil May Cry 3 ''Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening'' is a 2005 action-adventure game developed and published by Capcom. The game is a prequel to the original ''Devil May Cry (video game), Devil May Cry'', featuring a younger Dante (Devil May Cry), Dante. Set ...

''. *'' Nights into Dreams...'' – featured two brightly colored jesters. Nights, who wore a purple jester outfit with a purple hat, each with carnival and dream like designs on them, and Reala, Nights' nemesis, who had a clownlike face, and wore red and sky blue, and red and black striped shoes with a red- and black-striped jester hat. *Cleon – is star fairy jester in '' Bust-a-Move 4''. *

Kefka Palazzo is a fictional character in the ''Final Fantasy'' series of video games. Originally designed by Yoshitaka Amano, he appears in the sixth installment of the series, ''Final Fantasy VI''. First introduced as the court jester and army general under ...

– in ''

Final Fantasy VI also known as ''Final Fantasy III'' from its initial North American release, is a 1994 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Final Fantasy'' s ...

'', wears typical outfit and makeup of a jester. * Zorn & Thorn – pair of court jesters in the RPG ''

Final Fantasy IX is a 2000 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth game in the main ''Final Fantasy'' series. The plot focuses on a wa ...

''. *Dimentio – evil megalomaniac magician in ''

Super Paper Mario is a 2007 action role-playing game (RPG) developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the third installment in the ''Paper Mario'' series and the first Mario (franchise), Mario game to be released on the Wii. T ...

'' who wears a stylized jester costume and creates clever

similes A simile () is a figure of speech that directly ''compares'' two things. Similes differ from other metaphors by highlighting the similarities between two things using comparison words such as "like", "as", "so", or "than", while other metaphors cr ...

. He is one of the main villains of the game and attempts to make

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...

and

Luigi is a fictional character featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario, Nintendo's masc ...

his slaves. He also wears an Italian Comedy Mask. *There is also a Jester in the tower in the 2007

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

game '' Overlord.'' The player can kick the jester, knocking him a great distance, making

cow bell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are t ...

sounds when he hits the floor. The Jester also follows the player around the tower, and in the tutorial he taunts the player. The player must repeatedly hurt the jester to finish the tutorial. *In the two ''

Persona 2 ''Persona 2'' refers to a duology of role-playing video games released by Atlus. It refers to: * '' Persona 2: Innocent Sin'' (1999) * '' Persona 2: Eternal Punishment'' (2000) {{Media set index Persona (series) Shueisha manga Shueisha fran ...

'' video games, Joker wears clothing reminiscent of that of a jester. *Jester – A.K.A. Sarah Hawkins in the game UT3, fitting her name by making jests about the opponent or teammates. *Twinkle – she a little jester girl tail in '' Bust a Move 3'' *Umlaut – petrified Jester Skull in '' CarnEvil'' who gives a brief rhyme to describe what's in store upon selecting a level. He is also a sub-boss at the final level of the game. *Trivet – royal jester in the adventure game

Blazing Dragons ''Blazing Dragons'' is an animated television series created by Terry Jones and Gavin Scott, and produced by Nelvana and Ellipse Animation. A coinciding graphic adventure video game was released for the original PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 19 ...

*Chuckles – jester in the Ultima series of role playing games, provides comic entertainment and plot hints. *Jollo – court jester of the Land of the Green Isles in

King's Quest VI ''King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow'' is a point-and-click adventure game, first released in 1992 as the sixth installment in the ''King's Quest'' series produced by Sierra On-Line. Written by Roberta Williams and Jane Jensen, ''King's Q ...

, is an essential ally to Alexander. He warns Alexander about Alhazred's genie and keeps him informed of the Vizer's scheming. In the long path of the game, he also is able to swap out the genie's lamp and get Alexander out of the dungeon once. *

Tony Hawk's Underground 2 ''Tony Hawk's Underground 2'' is a skateboarding video game, the sixth entry in the '' Tony Hawk's'' series after ''Tony Hawk's Underground''. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision on October 4, 2004 in the U.S. for the PlaySta ...

features "The Jester" as a playable character after the level in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. * Shaco – evil jester of demonic origin, a playable trap champion in the game ''

League of Legends ''League of Legends'' (''LoL''), commonly referred to as ''League'', is a 2009 multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by ''Defense of the Ancients'', a Mod (video games), custom map for War ...

''. *Cicero – keeper from the Dark Brotherhood in '' The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'', wears a jester's outfit and took on the persona of a jester after killing one. *Feste – jester for the Duke's court in ''

Dragon's Dogma ''Dragon's Dogma'' is an action role-playing hack and slash video game developed and published by Capcom for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2012. An enhanced version titled ''Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen'' was released for the game's original consol ...

''. *Laughlyn – powerful spirit in Shadowrun RPG. He is a trickster spirit of technology in decay. Jake must bend Laughlyn to his will in order to defeat the dragon, Drake. Laughlyn however has other ideas... *Jevil - A secret boss in the video game

Deltarune ''Deltarune'' is a role-playing video game developed by Toby Fox. The player controls a teenage human, Kris, who is destined to save the world together with Susie, a monster, and Ralsei, a prince from the Dark World. During their quest to seal t ...

. He was once the court jester of Card Castle, until he began to see the world as a game, and got locked in a prison cell under the castle by his friend Seam, as ordered by the king. *Joka - Joka, also known as "Joker", is a recurring character in the game series

Klonoa ''Klonoa'' is a platform video game series created by Namco in 1997. It stars Klonoa, an anthropomorphic creature who explores dream worlds. The series includes two main games: '' Klonoa: Door to Phantomile'' (1997) for the PlayStation and '' Klo ...

. *Clownpiece - a fairy jester who lives on the moon and serves as one of the many bosses in

Touhou Project The , also known simply as , is a bullet hell shoot 'em up video game series created by one-man independent Japanese ''doujin'' soft developer Team Shanghai Alice. Since 1995, the team's member, Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, has independently developed ...

. She first appeared in Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom. Her clothing is similar to the

American flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...

, and she carries a torch that drives anyone mad upon looking at the flame within it. *Daycare Attendant - an animatronic jester found in the Superstar Daycare in Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizzaplex in Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach. He has two different personalities depending on whether the lights are on or off - Sun, who’s cheerful and energetic, and Moon, who’s sadistic and demented. Surprisingly, both personalities carry on the Daycare Attendant’s propensity for cleaning and following the rules. *Vex - primary antagonist in Sackboy: A Big Adventure, is a jester like creature made of cloth and born from chaos and fear, who wishes to plunge Craftworld into terror and despair through a nightmarish force called the Uproar. *Jester Zombie - a zombie jester from

Plants vs. Zombies 2 ''Plants vs. Zombies 2'' (originally known as ''Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time'') is a 2013 free tower defense video game developed by PopCap Games and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to ''Plants vs. Zombies'', and was ...

's Dark Ages, where they deflect physical projectiles from plants, such as peas, plasma balls, cabbage, etc. *Fiddle - a jester character who assists the player in Juilliard Music Adventure. *Hyehehe - a hyena jester from

My Singing Monsters ''My Singing Monsters'' is a 2012 video game franchise developed by Big Blue Bubble and published by Canada Media Fund. The first game of the series was released on September 4, 2012, for Apple iOS. Ports of the game for other operating system ...

which can be found on earth island. It plays an electronic organ using its ears and occasionally cackles to the song.

References