Join US
Do you want to build the fantasy world you’ve always dreamed of?
Subscribe to receive notifications when a new post is out and for our monthly newsletter!
You can always unsubscribe anytime.
Fantasy Court Jesters: A Great Life of Entertainment
Sunfire
CONTENTS
Introduction
One thing people love about fantasy is seeing how members of the royal court interact with each other, both at official functions and informally. Many times, the court will attend events held by the monarch where they see things happen. One of them is the entertainment provided by him, courtesy of the fantasy court jesters.
Court jesters’ main job is to entertain their audience and they have to ensure that every time they work, they enjoy it. They come up with various routines and constantly switch them up to keep them and their sovereign pleased. If there’s no laughter, then they’re not doing their job.
So what makes people want to be fantasy court jesters, willing to subject themselves to doing what they do in front of a mass of people? There are some who just have the passion for it whereas others have no choice but to subject themselves to embarrassment. Each jester has his own reasons for going into this occupation.
The number of antics they can do vary by person to person. There are the classics where they juggle balls and deliberately fumble to get the crowd to laugh and there are some that develop their own and showcase them to gauge whether to keep using them, fine-tune them, or abandon them altogether. They’re usually willing to accommodate special requests, especially from the king.
The royal court is usually a solemn affair. Much of the kingdom’s business takes place there and everyone needs to have some fun every now and then. That’s where fantasy court jesters come in. They help bring some levity in an otherwise serious environment.
This is article number eighteen in the fantasy occupations series. If you’re interested in seeing more, you can find them on our blog page!
Reasons Why People Become Fantasy Court Jesters
Every occupation draws a certain type of people to it. Some are naturally drawn, meaning the two are a natural fit. However, some are pushed into it, since there’s no realistic alternative. The career of court jesters is no exception.
This occupation is perfect for those who have a penchant for comedy, specifically that of the physical side. They love performing tricks, either by themselves or with a group, and revel in the applause and howls of laughter from their viewers. While the majority of them spend their entire careers in just one place, some form a traveling troupe where they go from one place to another, spreading their antics to many different people across the world.
There are some folks who have ulterior motives in choosing to become fantasy court jesters. They could be a spy from a rival kingdom or for a powerful member of the nobility, someone who seeks to see what life is like for the royals, or someone who wishes to find secrets in which to use as blackmail to enrich themselves. The possibilities are endless here!
On the darker side of things, some people are forced to subject themselves to constant ridicule and embarrassment. They are blackmailed to do so under the threat of something happening to either them or someone they cherish. Alternatively, they may have committed a crime and humiliating themselves in front of a crowd is their punishment.
Some become fantasy court jesters not because they love it but because they have a family to feed and bills to pay. They view this job as simply the means in which to keep their family afloat and hope that their children wind up in better occupations than them. Their love for their family is what keeps them going as they be-clown themselves all day long.
Fantasy Court JEsters and Their Wacky Antics
Jesters have oodles of options to choose from when at work. There’s a reason why the classics are the top go-to option though there’s something to be said about overusing them. They never stick with the same routine; they strive to experiment with new ones every now and then to keep things fresh.
One of the classic acts is that of juggling. Spectators love watching fantasy court jesters juggle multiple balls in midair. Even better, they love it when the balls fall and land on the jesters’ heads or if he fumbles, causing them all to tumble to the ground in different directions. These entertainers like to use either the same colored balls or those with varying colors to dazzle the audience.
The art of mimicry is a great choice for jesters. They work on masterfully copying people, right down to their mannerisms and perform activities that they otherwise wouldn’t do in an exaggerated fashion. While the target might not necessarily enjoy people laughing at his expense, he has to go along with it, lest he be called a party pooper.
Some fantasy court jesters work in pairs or are part of a group. The number of routines they can choose far outstrip those who work alone. For instance, they can juggle objects like bowling pins or balls or perform acts of comedy while playing off against each other. A penchant for physical comedy is required for everyone involved, otherwise it won’t be all that effective.
Another routine jesters do is to place themselves in wild, unusual situations that usually require wacky solutions to get out of. As an example, they could pretend to be in jail for some asinine crime and use crazy tactics to get out or launch a charm offensive on the guard, only for it to lead to spectacular failure.
The World and Fantasy Court Jesters
The royal court is where nearly all of the official business of the realm takes place in. The king holds meetings with his advisers, speaks with dignitaries from either within the kingdom or other countries, and issues edicts that affect everyone within his sphere of influence. Despite it being a solemn place, jesters are part of the court and thus have a role to play.
As the singular source of entertainment for the court, jesters have their work cut out for them. They have to inject moments of levity here and there and when called upon. Though they mainly do the monarch’s bidding, they occasionally take requests from those in special positions of power such as the his royal council.
When at official functions like a coronation or wedding, fantasy court jesters take the stage when it’s time. They do their acts which eventually lead to howls of laughter emanating from the audience who can’t get enough of their antics. Their acts become one of the highlights of the event and the best ones are talked about for a long time afterwards.
In tense moments like an intense confrontation or a debate within the councillors with an uncertain outcome, the smart ones take the cue to do something zany to defuse the tension in the air. While the king may not be initially pleased at it, eventually he’ll turn around and realize that it marked a turning point in the conversation as it let people cool down, even if it was just for a moment.
The great masses don’t have much in terms of entertainment and when they appear at events like the tourney, fantasy court jesters go all out in making them laugh. They do so for two reasons; one to give them a chance to forget about their troubles for a short time. Secondly, to help bring about a sense of unity and camaraderie among the crowd.
Tying it all Together
People have a great time watching court jesters entertain them. They enjoy seeing their acts of comedy at official functions throughout the realm. As for the entertainers themselves, they revel in the loud applause and cheers of laughter from the crowd, knowing that hearing these joyful sounds is worth all the work that went into their routines.
There’s a number of reasons why people elicit to become fantasy court jesters. Even though the number one reason is to entertain people, others have those specific to them. For example, some might go into this field in order to obtain information either for themselves or their masters to use against them since the vast majority of people consider them harmless and usually have their guard down around them.
The entertainment value of the jesters is derived from the acts they perform. The ones on the top prefer a mixture of both the classics and ones they made themselves. Classics comprise of juggling balls and exaggerated impressions of people, among others and the ones they came up with themselves wind up being their signature move, something that is impossible for others to copy successfully.
The world benefits from the jesters in that they provide entertainment for all those watching. The king and his subjects chuckle when a ball that the jester was juggling falls on his head and he overly dramatizes being hurt. These acts brighten everyone’s day and are notedly useful at the court itself when the monarch and his advisers are discussing a pressing issue since they help defuse the growing tension in the air.
Not sure whether to include fantasy court jesters in your world? These entertainers add an interesting dimension to the dynamics of the royal court in that they are its source of entertainment. While your audience will revel in their antics, they will also see a side of them that most people won’t and that’s what makes them interesting!
Let me know what you think in the comments below. (Note: this is an account-exclusive feature).
If you don’t have one, you can register here. It only takes a few moments of your time!
Liked this article and want to subscribe? All you have to do is fill out the form below and that’s it!
Thanks for reading this and until the next time,
Sunfire
DON'T MISS A POST!
Subscribing means you receive:
- notifications when a new post’s up!
- our monthly newsletter!
You can always unsubscribe anytime.
Share
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Print
Subscribe
Login
Please login to comment
0 Comments
Most Voted
