MATERIAL DA INTERNET CLOWNS, FOOLS E JESTERS IN SHAKESPEARE Shakespearean fools all have something in common: they are all

l commoners; ordinary, working class folk, who are deemed as being of the lower order and usually work directly or indirectly for the plays principle characters. For example, Romeo and Juliets 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, whose jobs it is to amuse their employers. However, unlike jesters of old, Shakespeares 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 Shakespeares 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 Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are more fools to be found in Shakespeares 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 Loves Labours Lost Pompey in Measure for Measure Launcelot in The Merchant of Venice Puck in A Midsummer Nights 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 Winters Tale

While it is true that the modern interpretation of clown and the pre-Shakespearean view of a jester are very different from Shakespeares fools, many of his comedic

characters display clownish features, such as the slapstick of the Dromio twins in The Comedy of Errors.