History Main / CourtJester

* Easily one of the most iconic examples of this trope to date would be the Fool from {{Creator/William Shakespeare}}'s ''Theatre/KingLear'', who accompanies the titular Lear even after he is left wandering with no crown, protection or shelter in the wilderness, offering both wise and scathing criticisms of the king all throughout that is always delivered comically enough as to not reach his ears.

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* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': The Alethi king has a position known as "the King's Wit" who insults people in the king's stead so that the king doesn't have to sully himself. His primary role is to humiliate and humble the various "lighteyed" lords and ladies by mocking them, which he does with relish and gusto. He does hide his genuine criticisms in a lot of straightforward insults, but they are there. It's ''technically'' legal for a slighted lord to kill the Wit, if he is willing to revoke all his lands and titles.

* In Creator/GuyGavrielKay's ''Literature/{{Tigana}}'': The court jester is magically bound to the King, acting out his subconscious urges, but there's a [[TheDogBitesBack twist]].
* Beldin from David Edding's ''Literature/TheBelgariad'' and ''The Malloreon'' series; as a twisted, hideous hunchback, he can say and do just about anything he wants because everyone's staring at the hump on his spine. He's also an impossibly powerful sorcerer, however, and at one point magically disguises himself as a "standard" jester, nailing home the resemblance.
* Onimi from the Literature/NewJediOrder series is the slave jester to [[EvilOverlord Supreme Overlord Shimrra]] of the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Yuuzhan Vong]]. His position as Shimrra's 'pet' allows him to mock the Elite mercilessly in a way no one else can, and he seems to take great pleasure in being as offensive as possible. [[spoiler:He's also the true power behind the Yuuzhan Vong throne, using MindControl to speak his wishes through the practically brainless Shimrra's mouth.]]
* The Fool, of course, in Creator/RobinHobb's ''Literature/{{Farseer}}'' trilogy. As noted above, being a court jester means you can speak your mind more freely than others ... but it should also be noted that this only works while your king protects you.
%%* Bluebell in ''Literature/WatershipDown'', which is full of [[ArchetypalCharacter archetypal characters]]. A surprisingly rare example of this trope who doubles as PluckyComicRelief ''in-universe''; Captain Holly credits Bluebell with keeping him from going "[[DespairEventHorizon tharn]]" after [[WaifProphet Fiver]] was proved right. '''Needs more Context'''
* Christopher Moore's ''Literature/{{Fool}}'' stars a King Lear's jester, and his ability to speak truth to the powers that be is one of the biggest themes in the book.

* Gideon Gleeman from the ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' novels ''Return to Canifis'' and ''Legacy of Blood''. Though he looks like a harmless fool, [[spoiler:he's actually a very powerful mage tasked with protecting King Roald.]]

%%* Poet from Literature/ACanticleForLeibowitz fills the role of the Shakespearean fool, as he points out hypocrisies in the form of jokes that go over the heads of the priests. '''Needs more Context'''

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', the Laughing God was this to the Eldar pantheon. This is also the reason he is one of the only Eldar gods left. His mocking nature distanced him from the decadence that birthed Slaanesh and doomed most of the other Eldar gods. His worshippers, the Harlequins, operate in troupes that function as this to the other Eldar factions and dress the part.

* Thomas Skelton, a.k.a. Tom Fool, was one of the more famous jesters. He was the last jester of Muncaster Castle and is believed to be the origin of the phrase "tomfoolery". He was a steward of the estate and a trusted servant to the Penningtons. He was said to have known Shakespeare and is believed to have been the inspiration for Theatre/KingLear's fool. However, Skelton is also believed to be a VillainousHarlequin, as people say he was also a tyrant to those beneath him - and a suspected murderer, to boot.

* Thomas Skelton, a.k.a. Tom Fool, was one of the more famous jesters. He was the last jester of Muncaster Castle and was very educated. He was a steward of the estate and a trusted servant to the Penningtons. He was said to have known Shakespeare and is believed to have been the inspiration for Theatre/KingLear's fool. However, Skelton is also believed to be a VillainousHarlequin, as people say he was also a tyrant to those beneath him - and a suspected murderer, to boot.

** One of the 2nd edition expansion books had a Jester playable class. This was mainly for "theatrical" players -- it could taunt and distract enemies with insults, but lacked the combat abilities to survive the consequences. There's also a [[http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Jester_%283.5e_Class%29 homebrew 3.5 edition version]] that is quite a bit more capable, as well as a ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' magazine version that [[MakeMeWannaShout physically damages people with cutting insults]].

* Thomas Skelton, a.k.a. Tom Fool, is one of the more famous jesters. He was the last jester of Muncaster Castle and was very educated. He was a steward of the estate and a trusted servant to the Penningtons. He was said to have known Shakespeare and is believed to have been the inspiration for Theatre/KingLear's fool. However, Skelton was also believed to be a VillainousHarlequin, as people say he was also a tyrant to those beneath him - and a suspected murderer, to boot.

* Thomas Skelton, a.k.a. Tom Fool, is one of the more famous jesters. He was the last jester of Muncaster Castle and was very educated. He was a steward of the estate and a trusted servant to the Penningtons. He was said to have known Shakespeare and is believed to have been the inspiration for King Lear's fool. However, Skelton was also believed to be a VillainousHarlequin, as people say he was also a tyrant to those beneath him - and a suspected murderer, to boot.

May overlap with MagicalClown, due to Real Life jesters in TheMiddleAges using magic tricks as part of their acts, and VillainousHarlequin. Compare to CourtMage and TheBard; the Court Jester may overlap with either. Also compare LethalJokeCharacter. Not to be confused with TheFool, a character who thoughtlessly blunders through adventures yet comes to no harm.

* ''The Motley Fool'', a financial advising company best known for its newspaper column, plays to this trope. Unusual for the industry and befitting the moniker, their advice tends to be of the [[BoringButPractical "invest in solid companies and funds and hold onto them for a long time"]] variety rather than promising easy money if you buy loads and loads of particular "sure thing" stocks.

* "The yellow jester does not play but gently pulls the strings..." [[Music/KingCrimson Court of the Crimson King]]. This Jester is also a ChessMaster is would seem.

%%* Jack Point in Creator/GilbertAndSullivan's ''Theatre/TheYeomenOfTheGuard'' is a {{Deconstruction}}. No-one listens to him, he doesn't know anything anyway, and he ends the opera unconscious ([[AmbiguousEnding or dead]]) from heartbreak. '''Needs more Context'''

* By one account, King Philip VI's jester was the only person in court who dared to inform him when the French had lost the naval battle of Sluys in 1340. He exclaimed "Oh, the cowardly English, the cowardly English!" and when asked why he replied "They did not jump overboard like our [[SarcasmMode brave]] Frenchmen!" This is featured in Literature/HorribleHistories, providing the page image.

* Thomas Skelton, a.k.a. Tom Fool, is one of the more famous jesters. He was the last jester of Muncaster Castle and was very educated. He was a steward of the estate and a trusted servant to the Penningtons. He was said to have known Shakespeare, and is believed to have been the inspiration for King Lear's fool. However, Skelton was also believed to be a VillainousHarlequin, as people say he was also a tyrant to those beneath him - and a suspected murderer, to boot.

%%* Creator/WilliamShakespeare had such characters as Touchstone from ''Theatre/AsYouLikeIt'', Feste from ''Theatre/TwelfthNight'', and the Fool from ''Theatre/KingLear''. '''Needs more Context'''

* A character class you can make in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII''. While not an especially powerful character type, they had the highest luck in the game and often managed to find useful items and gold after the fact. They were also the only class capable of freely transforming into a powerful Sage without use of a special item.

* Sommers from ''Series/TheSixWivesOfHenryVIII'', based on a historical person. He was the only one in the court who could speak frankly to Henry without fear of reprisal (and that's something Henry wouldn't even allow ''his own wives'' to do. The same character also appears for an episode in ''Series/TheTudors'', where after Jane Seymour's death he is the only man Henry will speak to at all in his grief. At the end of he episode, Sommers is shown sitting on Henry's throne, wearing his crown, and chuckling to himself... but he doesn't appear again in the series. He also appears on ''Series/HorribleHistories'', where courtiers rely on him to tell Henry BadNewsInAGoodWay.

* Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Literature/FoundationSeries'': In the third chapter of "Literature/TheMule", the court jester of Kalgan joins the protagonists. Bayta notices him first, walking around on his hands. He tells them about having to recite extemporaneous rhymes and dance for the Mule and his court.

** A ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' article in ''Dragon'' had a lengthy footnote concerning Jeremmer Hardree, the "Mad Jester", court jester to King Naether of Ormpur, Naether's nephew King Askuldur, and Askuldur's foster daughter Queen Maerildarraine. After Maerildarraine killed her evil foster father, led her knights against his loyalists, and burned down the temple of Tiamat, Jermmer quipped that he hoped she wouldn't find the next day boring by comparision ... and the fact he survived doing so is held as evidence of how much affection they had for each other. He died defending her against a counter-coup by Tiamat worshippers some time later.

* One of the 2nd edition ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' expansion books had a Jester playable class. This was mainly for "theatrical" players -- it could taunt and distract enemies with insults, but lacked the combat abilities to survive the consequences. There's also a [[http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Jester_%283.5e_Class%29 homebrew 3.5 edition version]] that is quite a bit more capable, as well as a Dragon magazine version that [[MakeMeWannaShout physically damages people with cutting insults]].

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]
* In ''Anime/IrresponsibleCaptainTylor'', when Tylor is captured by the Raalgon and made into Empress Azalyn's pet, he takes it upon himself to fulfill this role during Court, calling out the TreacherousAdvisor Wang on exactly how he's trying to manipulate the empress as well as loudly and publicly speculating over his motives. '''Needs more context'''

[[folder: Fan Works ]]
* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' of Creator/AAPessimal, Alison Grose is one of the first women to graduate from the Fools' Guild. 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. It is at pains to point out that while they have been forced by circumstances to ''liberalise'', they are not ''that'' liberal. Alison, aware she is not especially wanted in Ankh-Morpork, gladly accepts an offer from King Verence of Lancre to become his Court Jester. Verence, a much-respected Guild graduate and a King, believes a female jester can't be any worse and may indeed be refreshingly different. The Fools' Guild, therefore, has to accept that like it or not, there is now a fully accredited Lady Jester out there. Alison [[ReassignmentBackfire takes full advantage of exile to a remote backwater Kingdom]] to begin to develop the skills of Clown, Jester and Troubador in excitingly new and novel ways - knowing the only other Guild member for several hundred miles around to notice this is Verence, and he is not likely to complain.
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* Literature/TheBrightestShadow: Veron in general clearly enjoys refusing to play by society's rules and needling whoever she can. '''Needs more Context'''

* Bluebell in ''Literature/WatershipDown'', which is full of [[ArchetypalCharacter archetypal characters]]. A surprisingly rare example of this trope who doubles as PluckyComicRelief ''in-universe''; Captain Holly credits Bluebell with keeping him from going "[[DespairEventHorizon tharn]]" after [[WaifProphet Fiver]] was proved right. '''Needs more Context'''

* ''Literature/{{Ivanhoe}}'' has Wamba, Jester to Cedric the Saxon. '''Needs more Context'''

* Poet from Literature/ACanticleForLeibowitz fills the role of the Shakespearean fool, as he points out hypocrisies in the form of jokes that go over the heads of the priests. '''Needs more Context'''

* Creator/WilliamShakespeare had such characters as Touchstone from ''Theatre/AsYouLikeIt'', Feste from ''Theatre/TwelfthNight'', and the Fool from ''Theatre/KingLear''. '''Needs more Context'''
* [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The Jester]] in ''Theatre/OnceUponAMattress''. '''Needs more Context'''
* Jack Point in Creator/GilbertAndSullivan's ''Theatre/TheYeomenOfTheGuard'' is a {{Deconstruction}}. No-one listens to him, he doesn't know anything anyway, and he ends the opera unconscious ([[AmbiguousEnding or dead]]) from heartbreak. '''Needs more Context'''

* In Creator/VictorHugo ''Le Roi S'amuse'', Triboulet. Doubles with EvilCripple. '''Needs more Context'''

* In ''WesternAnimation/HappyNessTheSecretOfTheLoch'', one of the Nessies, Silly Ness, is dressed in jester attire. He even lives up to his name. '''Needs more Context'''

As characters, Jesters are anything but straightforward, and usually have some element of ThePrankster, BunnyEarsLawyer, TricksterArchetype, or DelightingInRiddles to their personality.