Everything You Need to Know About Jesters
JLaszloUpdated:Oct 20, 2023 4:24 PM EDT
"The Court Jester" by John Watson Nicol, 1895
"The Court Jester" by John Watson Nicol, 1895

John Watson Nicol from Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain); adapted in Canva

What Is a Jester?
A jester is a person who was employed by a European monarch to provide entertainment and tell jokes. Je courts and brightened up the events. The medieval jesters held the great responsibility of having to bring a smile to an angry or sick monarch's face. He was employed solely to excite and amuse his master, prevent state affairs from becoming over-oppressed, and bring liveliness to meals to help aid with digestion.

A classic jester
A classic jester

JWD's pix

Medieval Jesters' Clothing
Their breeches were tight, usually comprised of two different colored legs that were complemented by a motley n to add another detail if you’d like. There are several scenes where he’s wearing a single, purple nitrile glove if you’d like to go that route.
Step 3 Make your clothes a little dirty for a more authentic vibe.3
Make your clothes a little dirty for a more authentic vibe. The Joker is a pretty deranged character, and his clothes were rarely spotless in the movies and comics. For a more realistic look, rub
Community Answer
Green and purple are THE Joker colors, so you should really try to stick to those. You should be able to find something online, or you could dye some clothes.The Jester's Role
The jester was a very familiar face in the Middle Ages. British, aristocratic households would employ jesters who were often regarded as mascots or pets. Occasionally they would dress like servants, but more frequently tgetting ready for Halloween, or cosplaying for a comic book conventioncoat. Their heads were shaved and covered with a piece of cloth that resembled something a monk would wear and fell to their shoulders and over their chest.

A hat that depicted the tail and ears of a donkey was worn by the very first medieval jesters. With time, the jester's clothes became more and more brightly colored, humorous and gaudy. Their hat became known as the fool's hat, which became the stereotypical three-pointed one that everyone is so familiar with today.

How to Make a Joker Costume
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parts
1Getting the Right Clothes
2Painting Y The jacket is arguably the most important part of the outfit. Get a standard suit jacket for a basic Joker vibe. For a more accurate look, get a slightly longer jacket with hey
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The Joker is one of the most iconic characters of all time. Dressing up as the Joker is a great choice if you’re going to a costume party, tails in the back. This goes on over the collared shirt and the vest.[4]
If you’re going for the Heath Ledger look, make sure the jacket has an orange lining. His suit jacket is closer to a tre Cover everything under your hairline and above your jawline.[9]
Leave a little bit of space around your lips. You’re going to paint your lips red, so there’s no need to waste the paint.
Paint around your eyes one at a time; close your eye and gently dab the paint around the eyelid. You don’t need to paint this area if you’re going for the Joaquin Phoenix or Heath Ledger look.
Step 2 Add a bright red smile that’s a little bigger than your lips.2
Add a bright red smile that’s a little bigger than your lips. Activate the red paint and grab a fresh cotton ball or cotton pad. Dip the ball or pad into the red paint and carefully add the iconic smile. Cover your lips and extend the smile 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm) past the edges of your lips. Curve the line upwards on each cheek to give yourself the Joker’s famous smile.[10]
Don’t worry about doing this too perfectly. The Joker tends to have some pretty messy makeup.
If you’re going for the classic comic book look or the Jack Nicholson costume, keep the smile on the thinner side.
You can use red lipstick instead of face paint if you prefer. The texture may be a little different, but it should still oing for the look in the original film.[3]
If you’re going for the Joaquin Phoenix look, you need a yellow vest.
Step 3 Throw on the iconic purple jacket to pull the outfit together.3
Throw on the iconic purple jacket to pull the outfit together.forced to flee to other frontiers in search of a more appreciative audience. These actors and wandering comics laid the foundation for later medieval jesters.

The European jester inherited common traits of Roman historians and bards of Gaul. During the summer months, they dressed in colorful costumes and carried a viol or a harp across their shoulder and traveled to various castles and towns. Their acts and songs represented feats of agility and were often accompanied by music. Stories of scripture, miracles of saints, and legends of heroes were all common themes.

They were commonly found in castles and at fairs as well as marketplaces. Lords and ladies loved to reward them with gifts, and the princes and kings employed the most skilled ones to work in their court. Even bishops were known to retain the works of a jester.

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The Trade of a Jester
European jesters emerged from a wide variety of backgrounds. He could be a monk thrown from a priory, a university dropout, a jongleur with a phenomenal vocabulary, a musician, a poet, or even a random apprentice who was amusing. A jester could start his career in the club circuit and if he was lucky enough to be discovered then he could make it big in the courts.

Since jesters were granted freedom of speech, they could speak out if they chose, against their ruler's ideas. It was the jester's nature to speak their mind, regardless of any consequences. Since they eed to do anything with your eyes. For the Heath Ledger look, apply some patchy black paint around your eyes. For the Joaquin Phoenix style, add some blue diamonds over each eye and put a red eyebrow above each diamond.[11]ts with that.
Step 5 Wear some black or brown dress s a little to go for a more unstable vibe.[8]
Jack Nicholson’s Joker wore an odd turquoise bow. You can replicate this look with a turquoise twilly or a thin scarf. Don’t forget the purple fedora to go with it!
Part
2
Painting Your Face
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Step 1 Cover your face in white to build the foundation for the look.1
Cover your face in white to build the foundation for the look. Get some water-activated face paints. Open a container of white face pa hair and spraying it. Just cover your face while spraying and close your eyes while applying it.
Apply liquid dyes with a brush were rarely in any type of position to pose any kind of power threat, their outspokenness was not to be taken seriously since they had nothing to gain by their words.

The End of the Jester
Due to the Civil War, Charles I was overthrown and jesters came to an end. England was under Oliver Cromwell and as a Puritan Christian republic, there was no longer a place for jesters. Additionally, English theater suffered and entertainers moved to Ireland.

After the restoration, the tradition of the court jester was not reinstated. In the 18th century, the tradition of jesters had pretty much died except for in Spain, Germany, and Russia. Jesters were still found in Romania until the 19th century.

Many jesters were essentially household names, almost equivalent to a popular television comedian. They lived luxuriously in their master's palace, often dined with the king, and were given gifts of apprework just fine.
Step 3 Add black or blue around the eyes depending on the look you’re going for.3
Add black or blue around the eyes have a variety of wigs for you to try. It’s best to try a wig on first to make sure it’s comfortable, so buy it in a store if you can.

Step 2 Dye your hair...2
Dye your hair green to get that classic Joker look. Pick up some temporary hair dye to make your hair green. You can go for a flat green if you’re going for a comic book look, or a kind of dirty yellow-green for a more authentic, gritty style. To make the yellow green, mix a yellow and green together before applying it, or put some green in your hair before adding the yellow.
Most temporary hair dyes are sprays. You apply these sprays by holding the nozzle 6–10 inches (15–25 cm) from yourwork just fine with basically any outfit. If you’re going for the Jack Nicholson look specifically, pick up some checkered pants that are a combination of turquoise and purple.[6]depending on the look you’re going for. If you’re going for the classic Joker look, you don’t nor put a nitrile glove on and apply it by hand.
Temporary hair dye dries pretty quickly. Still, it’s better to wait 20-30 minutes before touching your hair.
Step 3 Slick your hair back to match the Joker’s hairstyle.3
Slick your hair back to match the Joker’s hairstyle. Once your hair is dry, spray a little holding spray in your hair. Grab a fine-tooth comb and slick your hair back. Tuck it behind your ears for a cleaner look, or let it hang loosely near the front for a more authentic look.
Heath Ledger’s Joker had some pretty messy hair. You can do this by hand if you’re going for that type of look.
Don’t use hair gel. The hair gel may change the texture and color of your dyed hair.
Part
4
Adding the Final Touches
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Step 1 Throw a flower in your jacket’s lapel for the comic book look.1
Throw a flower in your jacket’s lapel for the comic book look. Unless you’re going for the Jared Leto or Heath Ledger look, the Joker has a small carnation on his lapel. You can pin a small flower to the lapel of your jacket, or slide a stem into the front pocket. Choose a yellow, purple, or green flower that will contrast nicely with the suit jacket.[14]
If you want a fun conversation piece, get one of those gag flowers that squirts water out when you squeeze it. This is a classic Joker bit from the old comics.
Step 2 Put on some whiteto look where he’s only wearing the long leather jacket, stick with a white tank top or white T-shirt. He’s usually shirtless in the film, but that may not be the best choice if you’re heading out on the town.
You can wear a black shirt if you want to go for a darker, more formal Joker look.
Tip: There is no single “standard” Joker outfit, but you can get a green shirt, yellow vest, purple jacket, and purple pants if you want to just keep things simple.

Step 2 Find a dark green, orange, or turquoise vest to go on over the shirt.2
Find a dark green, orange, or re some fancy black and white shoes. You can go this route if you prefer.
You may be able to pull off some leather boots or sneakers if you’re going for the Suicide Squad look.
Step 6 Put on a yellow, brown, or green tie to go with the suit.6
Put on a yellow, brown, or green tie to go with the suit. Heath Ledger’s character wore a yellow and black tie with a g turquoise. The cane will be easy enough to find at a costume store, but they may not 
Face paint dries pretty quickly. Just wait 30-45 seconds before touching your face after you apply the paint.
If you are going with the Heath Ledger look, don’t give yourself raccoon eyes by adding a thick, even layer of black paint. It’s more of splotchy look with some skin showing through. Just wet a cotton swab and run around you eye a little to mess it up a bit.
Tip: Mess your makeup up a little with a cotton swab dipped in water if you’re going for the Heath Ledger look.[12]

Step 4 Include a red nose or face tattoo if you’re going for a specific Joker look.4
Include a red nose or face tattoo ifhey were one of the very few people in the court that could speak their minds freely and use humor to joke about the nobles, ladies, and lords without causing offense. Most jesters were well educated and they came from diverse backgrounds. Although they were granted quite a bit of freedom, excessive behavior commonly resulted in a jester being whipped.

There were two types of jesters (or, fools). The first type was a natural fool that was moronic and nit-witted and coulx costume if you’re going with the long leather jacket look. You can wear purple or black sweatpanhave the grills. You can buy these online and boil them in hot water to mold them to fit your teeth if you want to take the outfit to the next level.[18]
Tip: This style of Joker has a ton of tattoos as well. You can create these tattoos by drawing them on with face and body paint, or you can buy some temporary tattoos that match the ink from the movie and apply them to your skin.

Community Q&A
Question
Since the Joker carries a gun, what can I use for that?
Community Answer
Community Answer
Toy guns can be purchased in toy stores or joke shops. But be careful when carrying it around as some people hoes to go with the suit.5
Wear some black or brown dress shoes to go with the suit. You have a bit of freedom when it comes to the shoes since they aren’t typically an important part of the costume. So long as they’re black or brown, it doesn’t necessarily matter. Oxfords, bluchers, monks, and loafers will all work. You can even wear dress boots if you’d like.[7]
Jack Nicholson’s Joker wogloves to bring a classic Joker costume together.2
Put on some white gloves to bring a classic Joker costume together. The Joker from the comics wears white, fabric gloves. Pick up some gloves at your local costume or clothing store if you’re going for this look. They don’t need to be super fancy or unique. Basically any style of gloves will work so long as you aren’t using winter gloves.[15]
If you’re going all out with the comic book theme, get the fake gun with the “bang” flag that pops out..[16]
There are a few scenes in Suicide Squad where you see Jared Leto wearing fingerless gloves. You can throw these o. There have been dozens of different versions of the Joker throughout the past 50 years or so, and you have a ton of choices and options as a result. You can even mix and match elements from different depictions of the character to create something new and unique!

Part
1
Getting the Right Clothes
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Step 1 Put on an orange or green long-sleeved shirt.1
Put on an orange or green long-sleeved shirt. If you’re going for the classic comic book-style Joker, get a bright orange shirt. If you don’t have a bright orange shirt, a dark green collared shirt the jesters later were known for.

Due to purges against comedians and actors because of their outspokenness, a large percentage of them were our Face
3Styling Your Hair
+Show 1 more...hair right. turquoise vest to go on over the shirt. If your shirt is orange, purple or white, get a some coffee vest to go on over the shirt. If your shirt is orange, purple or white, get a some coffee grounds into your shirt, mark the clothes up gently with temporary fabric dye, and wrinkle them up a little.[17]
You don’t have to do this, but your costume will look a little more intimidating and real if you do this.
Step 4 Grab a cane and wear silver grills to finish the Suicide Squad look.4
Grab a cane and wear silver grills to finish the Suicide Squad look. The key elements of the Jared Leto look are the cane and the silver teeth grounds into your shirt, mark the clothes up gently with temporary fabric dye, and wrinkle them up a little.[17]
You don’t have to do this, but your costume will look a little more intimidating and real if you do this.
Step 4 Grab a cane and wear silver grills to finish the Suicide Squad look.4
Grab a cane and wear silver grills to finish the Suicide Squad look. The key elements of the Jared Leto look are the cane and the silver teeth. The cane will be easy enough to find at a costume store, but they may not have the grills. You can buy these online and boil them in hot water to mold them to fit your teeth if you want to take the outfit to the next level.[18]
Tip: This style of Joker has a ton of tattoos as well. You can create these tattoos by drawing them on with face and body paint, or you can buy some temporary tattoos that match the ink from the movie and apply them to your skin.

Community Q&A
Question
Since the Joker carries a gun, what can I use for that?
Community Answer
Community Answer
Toy guns can be purchased in toy stores or joke shops. But be careful when carrying it around as some people hoes to go with the suit.5
Wear some black or brown dress shoes to go with the suit. You have a bit of freedom when it comes to the shoes since they aren’t typically an important part of the costume. So long as they’re black or brown, it doesn’t necessarily matter. Oxfords, bluchers, monks, and loafers will all work. You can even wear dress boots if you’d like.[7]
Jack Nicholson’s Joker woJust buy a green Joker wig in a color and style that works with your costume. Put the wig on and use a grip band or wig clips to keep the wig in place.[13]
Your hair doesn’t need to be super long to make the outfit work. So long as you can slick it back, your hair is long enough for the costume.
If you’re debating between a wig and slicking back some medium-length hair, skip the wig. Wigs generally won’t look as good as your natural hair.
Tip: You can call your local costume store to see if they carry Joker wigs. It’s a fairly common costume choice, and they may 
If your shirt is white specifically, you may be able to pull off khaki dress pants.
If you’re wearing purple pants, gwill work well, especially if you’re going for the Arthur Fleck look. You can always use white if you want a more neutral color to start with.[1]
If you’re going for the authentic Dark Knight look, Heath Ledger actually wears a really unique hexagonal shirt that has a combination of different purple patterns. You’ll need to find this specific shirt online.[2]
If you’re going for the Jared Leeometric pattern on it. When in doubt, a simple brown or green tie will work with basically any version of the outfit. Choose a tie that goes well with the suit jacket to keep the outfit cohesive. You can tighten the tie all the way for a more formal look, or loosen it upmay mistake it for a real gun. Consider a water pistol or a joke gun that shoots out a flag saying "bang."
Not Helpful 4Helpful 47
Question
How do I make a Jared Leto Joker costume?
Community Answer
Community Answer
Cover your face and body in white paint, and make some temporary tattoos. Wear black slacks and dress shoes, put on some red lipstick, and spray your hair green. If you want, purchase a cheap fake cane or walking stick.
Not Helpful 2Helpful 23
Question
What if I can't get a green, purple, or brown costume as shown? Would black and white be a good alternative?
Community Answer dark green vest, preferably one with lapels. If your shirt is green, get an orange vest. The Jack Nicholson Joker wore a turquoise vest, so get one of these instead if you’re gciation.

Jesters were permitted to hurl insults but still had to be cautious not to take it too far. Kings for the most part were loyal to their jesters but on occasion, they were banished and sometimes even executed if they crossed that dreaded invisible line.