Modern Jesters and Their "Baubles" #1

I mentioned in a previous post how medieval jesters carried around baubles "as a protection, and rendered them immune from the anger of those whom they might offend" (Warde). Joanna mentioned on my last blog that some jester characters in modern day comedies are endowed with a similar type of "bauble" that serves to protect them from angering those whom they're humiliating.

Let's look at those "baubles," shall we? For this post, we'll analyze the most obvious:

Notting Hill

You'll remember when Spike gives William the message that Anna Scott called the flat, but he cannot remember her pseudonym. The following conversation takes place when William's trying to get hold of Anna Scott at the Ritz Carlton Hotel.

RITZ MAN: I'm sorry, we don't have anyone of that name here, sir.

WILLIAM: No, that's right -- I know that.  She said she's using another name -- but the problem is she left the message with my flatmate, which was a serious mistake. Imagine if you will the stupidest person you've ever met -- are you doing that...?

RITZ MAN: Yes, sir.  I have him in my mind.

WILLIAM: And then double it. And that is the—what can I say—git I'm living with and he cannot remember...

What does this mean? It means that Spike's stupidity--his deformity if you want to compare this to medieval jesters--grants him the ability to provide frustrating situations for William Thacker, and allows him to escape unscathed. William and Spike stay friends even after Spike rats out Anna Scott's hiding place to the press.

Finally, Spike's last bauble comes in when he tells William that he's a "daft prick" for not following Anna. It is this moment of social gracelessness that provides Spike with the catalyst for the movie's climax and sappy resolution.

So... do we condemn Spike? Not at all. Because his bauble keeps us at a distance. His immense stupidity obstructs our heroes from judging him, severing ties with him, and discarding him. And ultimately, his stupidity is the wisdom that brings two people together.

(Slow clap for you, Spike. Slow clap, indeed)

Works Cited:
Warde, Frederick. The Fools of Shakespeare. 1. London: McBride, Nast & Company, 1913. Print.