J E S T E R S

writers and artists may have their works booed, but COMEDIANS must

face LIVE  focused contempt from a unified crowd ... comedy might evolve through

the decades like fashion or music,  but crowd disapproval never changes
  
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500 years ago,  professional JESTERS toured Europe ... that miniature head called a 'marotte' served as a comedy prop

  
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It was common for understudies to apprentice with working jesters ... 1200s?
  
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Was this comedy team amusing religious hosts in 1498 by mocking science?  Just as likely it was a parody of the amused hosts themselves,  as jesters were  often allowed freedom for the sake of comedy ... a fool  knows this is dangerous but that's where the laughs are.
 
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This looks like somebody's younger brother wanted to get into the
comedy business,  but the kid just didn't have the chops for it

  
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There were women JESTERS too . . . this one in France
  
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A 1316 woman jester or 'joculatrix' in England politically admonished the king successfully
 
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Many comedians have played anger or indignity to hilarious effect 

   

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"... the fool Marchesina bore so striking a resemblance to the Duke's son in law, Malatesta, that it was thought necessary always to send Marchesina out of Milan whenever Malatesta repaired thither on a visit."

   

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A Paul Woodroffe illustration      see full size
   

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1896
        

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1500s?

   

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1500s?

   

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1700s?

    

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John Buckland Wright

    

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Some actual historic accounts of an obnoxious English jester named 'SMUG'   "How Smug, being drunk in bed, pissed upon his Wife through a cullender instead of a chamber pot"

     

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A German jester

     

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A Franz Brun illustration,  1700s

     

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"... mad pranks and merry jests,  1628"

    
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To perform for the rich and powerful,  he must have

been a comedic genius and a shrewd diplomat ...
wearing his self-humiliating hat,  he was free to

 make daring jokes ... that's what his hosts wanted

see full size
   
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1500s Russia's leader Ivan the Terrible scalded an unfunny jester with boiling water
   
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Cartoon illustrations of an 1889 French clown

   
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An 1886 French theater comic

     
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An 1896 comedian with racist jokes
  
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In 1921 Hollywood,  women comedians had to disrobe for promotional photos . . .

   
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Charles Rodrigues for National Lampoon Magazine,  1973

   

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An old sculpture of two actual jesters from the year 1047       see full size