When we think of colorfully dressed characters like clowns, jesters and harlequins, most people think of somewhat of a caricature. Generally speaking, clowns represent either fun or fear. Some people are afraid of clowns due to their heavy makeup and costumes which don’t allow much interaction with the person beneath and thus appearing threatening, while others associate them with the circus, the carnival and a good time. There is, however, a lot more to the idea of “clown” than meets the eye. In fact, there is a very complex universe behind these characters and their symbolic meaning, which goes extremely far in the human mind and culture. Clowns are actually a part of our deepest thoughts about the world, society and the workings of the universe.
The clown in the form of a circus or carnival clown has its roots in the 19th century or so, but the basis of this image goes back hundreds, if not thousands of years. Jesters and harlequins have been around for so much time, that they have become an integral (and essential) part of human existence.
In order to have a better understanding of why clowns, jesters and harlequins are important, one can look at their context: where we see them and what their role is.
The contemporary clown is a character associated with a very specific world, which has a very specific aesthetic. Clowns are to be found in the circus, a traveling fun fair or during the carnival period.
The carnival period is a time that has profound meaning, not just socially and culturally, but also from a religious point of view. Carnivals usually take place before lent, a period of restraint before Easter. During carnivals, people indulge in things they wouldn’t normally do: they exaggerate their consumption of alcohol and food, they dance too much, make noise and “let themselves go”, all under the protection of masks. Carnivals are decadent exuberant events, which mark a symbolic end of the world. During carnival, everything that is a norm is thrown out the window, everything is exaggerated and overdone, all to be followed by a period of strict rules and calmness, represented by lent. After a period of 40 days of abstinence and penance, Easter comes at a time when the sun begins to shine brighter, as Christianity’s most important holiday brings back daily living on track and starts out the freshness of the new year.
The clown is in all this a symbol for the upside down world, a symbol for the world turned over and in some contexts, an usher of the end. Even though this is creepy, clowns are needed in order to symbolically complete the picture.
Other types of clowns also have a very important role when it comes to the establishment of order in society. For example, court jesters were the only ones allowed to make fun of the king. They were the “outsider”, a symbol for the fact that not everything can be contained in the hierarchy of society, thus reinforcing the structure of the world. The purpose of the jester was not just to bring social and emotional relief through his jokes, but also to reinforce the frame of society by showing what is outside the norm.
This is what fair clowns do as well: they do all the things that are out of the norm. They are the misfits that define the rule. We can see it in the form of their actions: they pretend to do things, they act strangely and, most importantly, they don’t fit. We can see this visually in terms of “fashion”: their shoes are too big, their hair is unnatural, their pants are exaggerated and the colors they wear don’t match. Their makeup is overdone and they are overall over the top. The gags clowns are involved in are also about not fitting in: one can see too many clowns in a box and so on. On an everyday basis, clowns are important because they represent a valve for the chaos within us. Humans contain a good dose of the upside down world, and if not let out or expressed, this can lead to a muted, but strong explosion.
But things go deeper than that. Traveling fairs and amusement parks are in many ways a symbol of the edge of a cycle, which encapsulates a whole retrospective of the world. Ferris wheels, carousels and everything else at fairs is spinning: they are a symbol for cycles of life. When you are in a wheel, it goes up and then down, just like the famous Carmina Burana lyrics say:
“O Fortuna        O Fortune,
velut luna          like the moon
statu variabilis, you are changeable,
(…)
Sors immanis    Fate – monstrous
et inanis,            and empty,
rota tu volubilis, you whirling wheel”.
The same one can see at the circus: acrobatics, flips and turns, it’s all turning. However, the clown is the most distilled version of this continuous spinning, which seems to have no point (even though it does, given that one can be changed after the wonder of the ride or the show). Clowns are strong representatives of this breakdown of meaning: they work a lot with accidents, they fall down, they make someone else fall down and so on and that is what accidents are: breakdowns of meaning.
Clowns represent this weird equilibrium also by also to balance themselves on a ball or other things. When analyzing these performances, one can notice the strange attitude these activities give the clown; in a way, he is aware of the world and thus, above all the rules and at the same time takes the breakdown with a light heart.
They are above the world because they are aware of the world. Maybe this is why people who have had DMT trips claim to have seen jesters?
Regardless, clowns are very complex entities who point to the mysteries that govern conventions; they organize through chaos and work the mechanics of the cycles of life.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
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