According to the
Encyclopaedia Britannica, a clown is "a familiar comic
character of pantomime and circus, known by his (sic)
distinctive makeup and costume, ludicrous antics, and
buffoonery, whose
purpose
is to induce hearty laughter. The clown, unlike the
traditional fool or court jester, usually performs a set
routine characterised by broad, graphic humour, absurd
situations, and vigorous physical action".
Some of the earliest ancestors of the clown were
present in ancient Greece. These comics were bald-headed
and padded to appear larger than normal. They performed
as secondary figures in farces and mime parodying the
actions of more serious characters and at times threw
nuts at the spectators. A similar type of clown also was
present in the Roman mime. This clown wore a pointed hat
and a patchwork colourful robe and was the target for
all the tricks and abuse of his fellow actors.
In
the late Middle Ages, the clown emerged as a
professional comic actor when travelling entertainers
began to imitate the antics of the court jesters and the
amateur fool societies. The travelling companies of the
Italian commedia dell'arte developed one of the most
famous and durable clowns of all time, the Arlecchino,
or Harlequin some time in the latter half of the 16th
century. The Harlequin began as a comic valet, or
"zany," but soon developed into an acrobatic trickster,
wearing a black domino mask and carrying a bat or noisy
slapstick with which he frequently spanked his victims.
The
English clown was descended from the Vice character of
the medieval mystery plays, a buffoon and prankster who
could sometimes deceive even the Devil. Among the first
professional stage clowns were the famous William Kempe
and Robert Armin, both whom were connected with
Shakespeare's company. Travelling English actors of the
17th century were responsible for the introduction of
stage clowns to Germany, among them such popular
characters as Pickelherring, who remained a German
favourite until the 19th century. Pickelherring and his
confederates wore clown costumes that have hardly
changed to this day: oversized shoes, waistcoats, and
hats, with giant ruffs around their necks.
The traditional whiteface makeup of the clown is
thought to be introduced by the character of Pierrot,
the French clown with a bald head and flour-whitened
face. He first appeared during the latter part of the
17th century. He was created as a fool for Harlequin,
Pierrot was gradually softened and sentimentalised. The
pantomimist Jean- Baptiste-Gaspard Deburau took on the
character in the early 19th century and created a famous
love-sick, pathetic clown, whose melancholy has since
remained part of the clown tradition.
The
earliest of the true circus clowns was Joseph Grimaldi,
who first appeared in England in 1805. Grimaldi's clown,
called "Joey," specialised in the classic physical
tricks, tumbling, pratfalls, and slapstick beatings. In
the 1860s a low-comedy comic appeared under the name of
Auguste, who had a big nose, baggy clothes, large shoes,
and untidy manners. He worked with a whiteface clown and
always spoiled the latter's trick by appearing at the
wrong time to mess things up.
Grock
(Adrien Wettach), a famous whiteface panomimist, evoked
laughter in his continual struggle with inanimate
objects. Chairs collapsed beneath him. When a stool was
too far from a piano, he shoved the piano to the stool.
His elaborate melancholy resembled that of Emmett Kelly,
the American vagabond clown.
purpose
is to induce hearty laughter. The clown, unlike the
traditional fool or court jester, usually performs a set
routine characterised by broad, graphic humour, absurd
situations, and vigorous physical action".
In
the late Middle Ages, the clown emerged as a
professional comic actor when travelling entertainers
began to imitate the antics of the court jesters and the
amateur fool societies. The travelling companies of the
Italian commedia dell'arte developed one of the most
famous and durable clowns of all time, the Arlecchino,
or Harlequin some time in the latter half of the 16th
century. The Harlequin began as a comic valet, or
"zany," but soon developed into an acrobatic trickster,
wearing a black domino mask and carrying a bat or noisy
slapstick with which he frequently spanked his victims.
The
English clown was descended from the Vice character of
the medieval mystery plays, a buffoon and prankster who
could sometimes deceive even the Devil. Among the first
professional stage clowns were the famous William Kempe
and Robert Armin, both whom were connected with
Shakespeare's company. Travelling English actors of the
17th century were responsible for the introduction of
stage clowns to Germany, among them such popular
characters as Pickelherring, who remained a German
favourite until the 19th century. Pickelherring and his
confederates wore clown costumes that have hardly
changed to this day: oversized shoes, waistcoats, and
hats, with giant ruffs around their necks.
The
earliest of the true circus clowns was Joseph Grimaldi,
who first appeared in England in 1805. Grimaldi's clown,
called "Joey," specialised in the classic physical
tricks, tumbling, pratfalls, and slapstick beatings. In
the 1860s a low-comedy comic appeared under the name of
Auguste, who had a big nose, baggy clothes, large shoes,
and untidy manners. He worked with a whiteface clown and
always spoiled the latter's trick by appearing at the
wrong time to mess things up. 
Grock
(Adrien Wettach), a famous whiteface panomimist, evoked
laughter in his continual struggle with inanimate
objects. Chairs collapsed beneath him. When a stool was
too far from a piano, he shoved the piano to the stool.
His elaborate melancholy resembled that of Emmett Kelly,
the American vagabond clown.