The Jester (Self Portrait) by Lionel Lindsay

Narrator: Lionel Lindsay portrayed himself as a jester. But how did he see the jester? Sinister? Sad? Or happy?

The jester is a jape, a joke, so surely the jester must be an entertainer, a fool who makes us laugh with his gags, his cheekiness, and his bright red nose.

But as we laugh, there fall the tears of the clown. In literature and in life, the stories of the entertainer whose own life was a tragedy, a white face lost in shadows, a sad face beneath the fool’s hood. Or, there are jesters who bring tragedy – or at least mischief. Clowns who frighten children and make adults squirm. Insolent harlequins spreading anarchy through comedy and Punchinellos who beat their wives.

Which jester was Lionel Lindsay?

The clue perhaps is in the title he gave to his autobiography: Comedy of Life.