Verence, a much-respected Guild graduate and a King, believes a female jester can't be any worse and may indeed be refreshingly different. Alison, aware she is not especially wanted in Ankh-Morpork, gladly accepts an offer from King Verence of Lancre to become his Court Jester.

It is at pains to point out that while they have been forced by circumstances to liberalise, they are not that liberal. Forced by the machinations of Lord Vetinari to take a complement of female students, the Guild is at a loss as to what to do with them after they graduate. Pessimal, Alison Grose is one of the first women to graduate from the Fools' Guild. Not to be confused with The Fool, a character who thoughtlessly blunders through adventures yet comes to no harm. Compare to Court Mage and The Bard the Court Jester may overlap with either. May also overlap with Honest Advisor, especially if they use comedy to criticize the great magnates of the realm. May overlap with Magical Clown, due to Real Life jesters in The Middle Ages using magic tricks as part of their acts, and Villainous Harlequin. Many techniques of clowning and circus arts have their origins in the craft of the Court Jester.

For example the reason modern clowns wear ruffs is because they were popular back when jesters were around, so the jesters started wearing them too, and they have since remained a part of clown costumes. It's worth noting that real jesters were the Trope Codifiers for most Clown Tropes. Due to this reason and a combination of their silly antics with the ability to tell the king things he doesn't want to hear right to his face, the jester is often one of the most common examples of a Non-Ironic Clown still in existence.Īs characters, Jesters are anything but straightforward, and usually have some element of The Prankster, Bunny-Ears Lawyer, or Delighting in Riddles to their personality. No one would guess that the silly and seemingly harmless jester is really a bodyguard, assassin, or spymaster. Many writers have noted that it's a great cover.

The Jester's foolish appearance and demeanor means he's generally laughed at or not taken seriously. His nominal role is to entertain the king and his courtiers with jokes, acrobatics, juggling, and pratfalls, while wearing a silly, brightly colored outfit and Happy Harlequin Hat. King Crimson, In the Court of the Crimson KingĪ Stock Character in the Standard Royal Court, a Court Jester is a clown and funnyman who's rarely what he appears on the surface.

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