Two of Shakespeare’s Character Archetypes Jesters and Fools Two of Shakespeare’s Character Archetypes

The Jester Archetype A Jester (similar to the clown of today) was an occupation during the Elizabethan era—typically a jester was employed by a member of the royal court and charged with the task of keeping him/her entertained The Shakespearean Jester Archetype: Tells jokes (often silly, always cleaver, & occasionally rude) Behaves mischievously (a prankster) Sings and/or talks in riddles Often speaks the truth as he knows it

The Fool Archetype A fool(s) exists in most Shakespearean plays—not only in his comedies. These characters elicit humor, but often do so un- intentionally (intentionally by Shakespeare, unintentionally by the character) The Shakespearean Fool Archetype: Undereducated Fickle Easily confused Sporadically quick-witted occasionally he is sharp; often he’s too dumb to understand what he is saying Often egotistical

The Jester & Fool in MSND The Fool Who is the jester in A Midsummer Night’s Dream? How does he/she fulfill the Shakespearean archetype of a jester? Who is the fool in A Midsummer Night’s Dream? How does he/she fulfill the Shakespearean archetype of a fool? Jester: Puck (he is Oberon’s jester) Fool: Bottom

The Roles they Play How Jesters &Fools Contribute to A play

(Catharsis is an emotional release) Comic Relief Shakespeare includes jesters and fools in his plays as a tool to create comic relief—this is typically their main function Comic relief is a humorous instant of catharsis woven in to a serious or tragic moment in a work of literature (Catharsis is an emotional release) How do Puck and Bottom create comic relief in A Midsummer Night’s Dream?

Foil Characters Shakespeare often includes jesters and fools in his plays to serve as foil characters—this is typically a secondary function A foil is a character who contrasts with another (typically the protagonist or another main character) in order to highlight various characteristics of him/her character, throwing said characteristics into sharper focus Do Puck and Bottom serve as foils in A Midsummer Night’s Dream? If so, how?

Puck the jester Inspiring Art still today

Puck (Robin Goodfellow) Inspired “Puck” in Berserk A fairy that serves as comic relief in an anime/manga thing

Puck (Robin Goodfellow) Inspired “Puck” in Final Fantasy IX He is a meddling street urchin

Puck (Robin Goodfellow) Inspired “Noah Puckerman” from Glee

Puck (Robin Goodfellow) Played by “Neil” in Dead Poets Society Click on the picture to show a short video (less than 2 minutes). There are Spanish subtitles, but whatever.