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Jesters Or Truth-Tellers

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Jesters Or Truth-Tellers Jesters or Truth-tellers - a Study in Three Shakespearean Wise Fools: Touchstone from As You Like It, Feste from Twelfth Night, and King Lear’s Unnamed Fool. University of Tampere School of Modern Languages and Translation Studies Department of English Pro Gradu Thesis Autumn 2005 Tiina Haikka 2 Tampereen yliopisto Englantilainen filologia Kieli- ja käännöstieteiden laitos Tiina Haikka: “Jesters or Truth-tellers – a Study in Three Shakespearean Wise Fools: Touchstone from As You Like It, Feste from Twelfth Night and King Lear’s Unnamed Fool.” Pro gradu-tutkielma, 96 ss. Marraskuu 2005.________________________________________________________ Shakespearen viisaat narrit ovat ainutlaatuisia hahmoja kirjallisuuden historiassa. Narrien rooli on tärkeä koko näytelmän tulkitsemiselle. Shakespearen näytelmät ovat täynnä hahmoja, jotka jossakin vaiheessa toimivat narrin roolissa, joko keventäen tunnelmaa tai lausuen viisaita huomautuksia. Viisaisiin narreihin voidaan kuitenkin lukea vain neljä: Touchstone, Feste, kuningas Learin narri ja Lavatche näytelmästä Loppu hyvin, kaikki hyvin. Nämä neljä ovat narreja ammatiltaan, eikä heidän viisauttaan voi kiistää. Shakespearen näytelmissä esiintyy myös muita viisaalta narrilta vaikuttavia hahmoja, kuten Apemantus Timon Ateenalaisessa, mutta nämä eivät, kuten sanottu, ole narreja ammatiltaan. Pro Gradu - työssäni analysoin näistä kolmea, kaikkein selvimmin viisasta narria, Touchstonea Kuten Haluatte -näytelmästä, Festeä Loppiaisaatosta ja Kuningas Learin narria. Narrin hahmo perustuu jo antiikin ajalta periytyvään karnevaalin ja hovinarrien perinteeseen. Viisaat narrit käytävät perinnettä hyväkseen piloissaan. Esimerkiksi Loppiaisaaton Feste protestoi, ettei hänen mielensä ole yhtä kirjava sekoitus kuin narrinkaapu, tarkoittaen ettei hän ole älyllisesti kehitysvammainen. Kuningas Learin narri taas tarjoaa narrinhiippaansa Kentille, vihjaten että tämä on hölmö tullessaan takaisin, ja että tämä tulee vielä tarvitsemaan narrin koskemattomuutta. Narrit matkivat näytelmän muita henkilöitä heijastaen heidän virheitään. Narrit käyttävät myös latinaa ja antiikin myyttejä piloissaan, sekä laulavat näytelmän tilannetta ja henkilöitä kuvastavia lauluja. Narrit eivät tahdo horjuttaa vallitsevaa järjestystä, vaikka narrin vapaus ilmaista mielipiteensä ja pilailla toisten kustannuksella siihen mahdollisuuden antaisikin, vaan pitävät ennemminkin kiinni vanhasta. Narrien puheissa esiintyy kuitenkin karnevalismiin kuuluvia groteskeja piirteitä, kuten viittauksia ruumiin tarpeisiin ja herjaamista. Nämä ovat kuitenkin verrattain hienovaraisia. Narrit ovat aina enemmän tai vähemmän ulkopuolisia. Heidän roolinsa ei ole aktiivinen: he eivät osallistu näytelmän juonen eteenpäin viemiseen. Shakespearen viisaiden narrien tärkein tehtävä on näytelmän sävyyn vaikuttaminen. Touchstone vaikuttaa jopa näytelmän tyylilajiin, tehden pilaa Kuten Haluatte -näytelmän pastoraalisesta idyllistä. Feste tuo Loppiaisaattoon tummia sävyjä ja filosofista pohdiskelua. Learin narri osoittaa kuninkaan erehdyksen traagisuuden. Viisaat narrit tuovat näytelmiin perspektiiviä. Heidän tulkintansa näytelmän juonenkäänteistä ja roolihahmojen luonteenpiirteistä eroaa näytelmän muiden roolihahmojen tulkinnasta. Narrit toimivat usein ikäänkuin kertojina. Vaikka heidän kommenttinsa onkin osoitettu muille roolihahmoille, eivät nämä useinkaan tunnu ymmärtävän, että kommentit kuvaavat heitä. Yleisö taas saa narrin kommenteista lisätietoa näytelmän juonen kehityksestä ja henkilöhahmojen luonteesta ja sisimmästä. Näin yleisön ymmärrys ja kuva näytelmästä syvenee. 3 Table of Contents: 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 4 2 Historical Background................................................................................................................ 9 2.1 Natural and Artificial Fools ............................................................................................... 9 2.2 Early Fools...................................................................................................................... 11 2.3 Saturnalia and Kindred Festivals...................................................................................... 12 2.4 Carnivalism..................................................................................................................... 13 2.5 The Stage Fool................................................................................................................ 15 2.5.1 The Vice................................................................................................................ 15 2.5.2 Elizabethan Stage................................................................................................... 17 2.5.3 Robert Armin......................................................................................................... 17 2.6 Other English Stage and House Fools .............................................................................. 18 2.7 Early Studies................................................................................................................... 19 2.7.1 Sebastian Brandt .................................................................................................... 19 2.7.2 Erasmus................................................................................................................. 19 2.7.3 Robert Armin......................................................................................................... 20 2.7.4 Tomaso Garzoni..................................................................................................... 21 3 Characteristics of the Shakespearean Wise Fools........................................................................ 22 3.1 Motley and Cockscomb................................................................................................... 22 3.1.1 Lear’s fool ............................................................................................................. 23 3.1.2 Feste...................................................................................................................... 25 3.1.3 Touchstone ............................................................................................................ 26 3.2 Reflections...................................................................................................................... 27 3.2.1 Shadow.................................................................................................................. 28 3.2.2 Bauble ................................................................................................................... 29 3.2.3 Mirrors .................................................................................................................. 31 3.2.3.1 King Lear’s Fool ................................................................................................. 31 3.2.3.2 Feste ................................................................................................................... 33 3.2.3.3 Touchstone ......................................................................................................... 33 3.2.4 Counterpart............................................................................................................ 34 3.2.5 Lacan’s Mirror Stage.............................................................................................. 38 3.3 Learnedness .................................................................................................................... 40 3.3.1 Feste...................................................................................................................... 40 3.3.2 Touchstone ............................................................................................................ 43 3.3.3 Lear’s Fool ............................................................................................................ 43 3.3.4 Audience ............................................................................................................... 44 3.4 Songs.............................................................................................................................. 45 3.4.1 Feste...................................................................................................................... 46 3.4.2 King Lear’s Fool.................................................................................................... 48 3.4.3 Touchstone and the Minstrel Amiens...................................................................... 50 4 The Wise Fools’ Importance for the Meaning of the Whole Play............................................... 53 4.1 Subversiveness................................................................................................................ 53 4.1.1 Touchstone ............................................................................................................ 53 4.1.2 Feste...................................................................................................................... 56 4.1.3 King Lear’s fool..................................................................................................... 58 4.1.4 Conclusions on subversiveness............................................................................... 60 4.2 Popular festive images..................................................................................................... 62 4.3 The
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