Book description
Clowns, fools, and comedians of various kinds have been a feature
of virtually every recorded culture in the history of civilisation and
made significant contributions to the development of early theatre and
literary drama. This is certainly true of English culture, where the
fool in various disguises is found at the heart of popular dramatic
activity from its earliest recorded beginnings. The court or king's
fool was different from the other types owing to the special
relationship he enjoyed with the king as his personal retainer. The
author draws upon contemporary sources to present a unique,
reign-by-reign chronicle of the English court fool, from his origins
in Carolingian Europe and Celtic Ireland to Archy Armstrong, jester to
James I.
John Southworth has combined a lengthy career in the theatre as
an actor and director, with research and writing on the early history
of popular entertainment. He runs an independent production company at
Ipswich Arts Theatre (of which he was artistic director). He has also
written Shakespeare the Player.
