Robert Armin and Will Kemp, Fools of Shakespeare

That Shakespeare Life

All total, Shakespeare includes 21 Clowns and Fools in his works, that frequency wasn’tjust personal preference. It was, as you may have guessed, a reflection of actualhistory. The Fool dates all the way back to the Romansas an appointed member ofsociety whose job it was to entertain with honesty, mockery, and behavior that wouldhave been foolish for anyone else. Since it is April Fool’s Day today, that makes it theperfect time to explore the history of fools, which iswhy today, we’re meeting with TimFitzhigham, who is currently completing his PhD on Robert Armin, the man who is mostfamous for playing some of those Clowns and Fools you see in Shakespeare’s plays.Tim joins us today to help us unpack the history behindthe Fools of Shakespeare, thereal people who served as fools in the royal court for Shakespeare’s lifetime, the role ofRobert Armin had in developing the role of Shakespeare’s fools, and to share with uswhat we should know about the 16-17thcentury history of clowns, jesters, and foolswhen we see them in Shakespeare’s plays.

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