The history of clowns is a vast subject and one could write a book about it if one had time! Luckily, there have been others with the willpower! There have been several good books on the subject, notably "Clowns" by Douglas Newton; "Bring on the Clowns" by Beryl Hugill; "Clowning Through" by Frank Foster and "Clowns & Pantomimes" by M Willson Disher to mention just a very small selection. I have used several in my research for this article and I acknowledge the authors with gratitude! Please see my Bibliography at the end of this article.
So, where did clowns originate from? Right through ancient history there have always been men (and women!) who have had the ability to make others laugh. Sadly, in ancient times, only records of great deeds, battles and momentous decisions were recorded and passed down; the 'doings' of every day folk were lost in time. However, ancient clowns did exist - not known as clowns, of course - the word clown not coming into use until the 16th Century.
Ancient Egypt 5000 years ago used to keep African Pygmies known as Dangas in the Royal Courts to amuse the Pharos and Royal Families. They dressed in leopard skins and strange masks and danced and imitated the Egyptian Gods, such as Bes - the God of Dance and Battle.
Ancient China had clowns attached to the Imperial Court as long ago as the Chou Dynasty (1027-221 B.C.). One is named as Yu Sze, who was clown to Ch’in Shih Huang-ti, who built the Great Wall of China.
Ancient Greece had clowns who wore short tunics ("chiton") which were grotesquely padded at the front and rear and knitted socks like tights. He had an exaggerated artificial phallus strapped around his loins (remind you of anyone? - perhaps it was the Ancient Greek equivalent of "medallion man"?).
Ancient Greek clowns enacting a scene in farcial plays called Phlyake [Mansell Collection]
Ancient Rome had several types of clown. Some were known as Sannio - they were a popular type of mime and famous for their ability to pull hilarious grimaces with their faces and body. It follows that this clown, unlike most others of this time, did not wear a mask. Another clown was Stupidus (hence our word stupid) which was Latin for mimic fool. He was usually bald-headed or wore a long pointed hat and a multi-coloured outfit (surely the predecessor of Harlequin?). He mimicked and "sent-up" the more serious actor. He was famed for his innuendo and riddles and the ability to rain down blows on his fellow performers in burlesque fights in typical slapstick fashion. In true clown style, he used scandals of the day for his material and nothing was too sacred or sacrosanct to be the focal point of his humour. There was also a lower form of clown who was known as Scurra (from whence comes scurrilous), who indulged in jesting, his physical oddities setting him apart from his better class colleagues. There were yet others known as Moriones (moron) whilst the mentally retarded were known as Stulti and Fatui. It was common for the great houses and the courts to "keep" freaks and fools, who on the whole were treated kindly. It was thought by many that they were endowed with special powers from the Gods and were treated as good luck charms. During the Festival of Saturnalia which marked the shortest day and the rebirth of life, a lowly slave would be chosen to take the place of the master of a household and for the duration of the Festival, he would "rule" the household. This is the origin of the "Lord of Misrule" tradition at the Medieval Christmastide.
Ancient Roman Theatre using masks (left) [BBC Hulton Picture Library] / Ancient Roman clowns in the 4th Century [Mansell Collection]
In Malaya, clowns exist today who are similar to ones who performed thousands of years ago. They are called P’rang and wear huge masks and turbans as big again as themselves.
A well known clown existed in Turkey in about 1440 who, through the ages has become a cult and folk hero, with many coarse and "tall" stories about him. His name was Nasr el-Din who was court jester to Tamburlaine (or Timur) the Mongol Conqueror. Nasr el-Din was famous for his cunning, naivety, buffoonery and shrewdness; he loved to score off other people and play practical jokes. To learn more about this mischievous comic, read "An Eastern Chequerboard" by Sir Harry Luke.
Just a short glimpse to cover many centuries in the past but as we emerge into the era of modern history, the records improve and we begin to see real people with recorded names who were famous clowns of their time. In particular, there were the Court Jesters. By the 14th Century, the professional funnymen had taken the place of real fools in many Royal households Unlike their predecessors of course, the Jesters could provide humour on demand.
Jesters from a 13th Century manuscript [BBC Hulton Picture Library]
(above L): A court fool and a buffoon from a 13th century manuscript [BBC Hulton Picture Library] (above R): 19th century impression of a Jester [Mary Evans Picture Library] (below) A 19 century impression of a court jester [Culver Pictures Inc]
In a time when printed material was not freely available (and most people were unable to read anyway) the Jester represented the principle of free speech in an age where such freedom hardly existed for anyone else. Their closeness to the throne gave them considerable power which made them enemies as well as friends in court. Archy Armstrong, Jester to Scottish Stuart Kings James I and Charles I seemed to have been universally disliked by everyone apart from his employers but earned enough during his career to retire as a moneylender and landowner. Others seemed to have been well liked. William Summers, Jester to King Henry VIII won universal adoration. His picture hangs in Hampton Court Palace and he was dubbed "the poor man’s friend" because of his kindheartedness. Considering how many people Henry beheaded, William did well to keep his head and outlive his master!
(L) Archy Armstrong, Scottish Stuart Jester to James I of England and Charles I (R) Will Sommers, Jester to King Henry VIII [Mary Evans Picture Library]
John Scogan was Jester to King Edward IV and was unusual in that he was an Oxford scholar. He was famous for his roistering, roguish, irreverent personality whose maxim was "a merry heart doeth good, like a medicine". He loved practical jokes. However, one became his undoing, He had borrowed a large sum from the King and on the due date for repayment he did not have the money. He decided to play dead and arranged for his friends to dress up in funeral outfits and carry him in a bier. They entered into the joke with glee. In due course they came across King Edward who was very sad at the loss of his Jester and made many kind remarks and said he forgave Scogan and his relatives the money owed. On hearing this, the "dead" Jester leapt up and thanked his gracious King for his act of grace saying, "It is so revivifying that it has called me to life again". Edward promptly banished him to France!
Another well rememberd Jester was Rahere, Jester to the English Court of Henry I in the early 1100's. On a pilgrimage to Rome he became ill with malaria and pledged that if he survived he would build a hospital for the poor. He kept his word and built a great Priory and Hospital at Smithfield named in honour of St Bartholomew. The Priory was later dissolved by King Henry VIII but the Hospital is still in use today: "Bart’s", the famous teaching hospital.
(L) Rahere, Jester to Henry I and Queen Matilda in the early 1100's [Mansell Collection] (R) Jeffrey Hudson, 18" high dwarf Jester to Charles I and Queen Marietta Maria [Mary Evans Picture Library]
The very last Jester in private employment in England was Dickie Pierce, a Fool to the Earl of Suffolk. When Pierce died in 1728, aged 63, he was buried in Gloucester, his epitaph penned by no less a person than Jonathan Swift.
On the continent, Jesters held sway for longer than in England. Italy had a number of worthy Jesters and Germany had its "Merry Councellors", whilst France was famous for its celebrated Jesters. Charles V employed Mitton and Theverin de St Leger whilst Louis XIII had l’Angely. Brusquet was attached to Henry II and Louis XII employed Triboulet (who is the hero of Hugo’s "Le Roi s’amuse" and Verdi’s "Rigoletto").
In the East, a strong tradition of Jesters existed and indeed goes back further than that of Europe, certainly as far as the 8th Century. The great Caliph Haroun al-raschild, a builder of the Taj Mahal had a Jester named Bahalul who concealed wit, vivacity and observations under a cloak of simplicity. When asked by Caliph to procure a list of all the fools in Bagdad, Bahalul replied, "That would be difficult, oh Commander of the Faithful, but if you desire to know the wise men, the catalogue may soon be completed!"
Eventually, custom, taste and economics conspired to sweep the Jester away and in any case, similar in many ways as the Disciples are, it is not from the court Jesters that our modern clown is descended. They come from the public jesters, street entertainers, actors, pantomimists and masquers who followed.
One of the earliest uses of the word "Clown" occurs in one of Shakespeare’s plays. Everyone knows and misquotes, Hamlet’s speech, "Alas poor Yorick ....fewer realise that the gravedigger who so casually passes the relic to Hamlet is, in the play, designated "Clown". The term means "Clod" or "Clumsy, boorish fellow" and is thought to derive from the old Danish word "Klunni" which conveys the same meaning. It perfectly describes the character of the gravedigger, discussing the details of the rotting corpses and throwing bits of them about, but it is far from the modern use of the term "Clown" which indeed was not used in its modern sense for another one hundred years.
In the 1700's, Italian Commedia del’arte al improviso (professional improvised comedy) was imported into this country. In the earliest forms of this entertainment, actors improvised, from a vast memorised storehouse of line-combinations and business, a play along a simple theme. Two young lovers are trying to elope and they are constantly thwarted by the girl’s father (Pantaloon) and his friend the Doctor (both old men). Skirmishing around this quartet are a number of extra characters, including soldiers (Scaramouche, the Captain) and servants, Zannis (hence our word Zany). By the time the pantomime arrived in Britain, Harlequin and Columbine were the two young lovers. Pantaloon was a figure of fun and a nuisance. Policemen had replaced soldiers, Pulchinello had transmuted into Punch and got his own show, and Pagliaccio had gained the sourbriquet "Clown" and was the knockabout interest. Harlequin was given a magic bat so that he and his lover could transform scenes magically to escape the pursuers during the hectic, mad chases. He would "slap" the stick and so it was later comedic scenes became known as "slapstick".
Commedia dell'arte: (L) Arlecchino, the original Italian version of Harlequin in 1671 (R) 19th Century actor Tom Ella playing Harlequin [Mary Evans Picture Library]
