Today we mark the death, in 1588, of one of the most well-known actors of the Elizabethan period, a clown called Richard Tarlton.
He was the most famous clown of his era, known for his extempore comic doggerel verse, which came to be known as “Tarltons”. He helped to turn Elizabethan theatre into a form of mass entertainment paving the way for the Shakespearean stage. After his death, many witticisms and pranks were attributed to him and were published as Tarlton’s Jests.
Tarlton was also an accomplished dancer, musician, and fencer. He was also a writer, authoring a number of jigs, pamphlets, and at least one full-length play.
He was an early yet extraordinary influence on Elizabethan clowns. His epitaph says: “he of clowns to learn still sought/ But now they learn of him they taught”. Tarlton was the first to study natural fools and simpletons to add knowledge to his characters. His manner of performance combined the styles of the medieval Vice, the professional minstrel, and the amateur Lord of Misrule. During the play, he took it upon himself to police hecklers by delivering a devastating rhyme when necessary. He would spend time after the play in a battle of wits with the audience. He worked with Queen Elizabeth’s Men at the Curtain Theatre at the beginning of their career in 1583. The 1600 publication Tarlton’s Jests tells how Tarlton, upon his retirement, recommended Robert Armin take his place.
He was Queen Elizabeth’s favourite clown. He had a talent for improvising doggerel on subjects suggested by his audience; in fact, improvised doggerel verse became known for a time as “Tarltons”. To cash in on his popularity, a great number of songs and witticisms of the day were attributed to him, and after his death the text Tarlton’s Jests, containing many jokes in fact older than he was, made several volumes. Other books, and several ballads, coupled his name with their titles. Some have suggested that the evocation of Yorick in Hamlet’s soliloquy was composed in memory of Tarlton.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com.
Suggested link:
Episode 44: Elizabethan Theater
From the shop:
To celebrate Elizabeth I’s birthday month, here is the Celebrations of Elizabeth I Collection.
Featuring the Elizabeth I Round Sling Bag
Ps. All products are made on-demand and can take a few weeks to ship.
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast,  the original Tudor history podcast, started in 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. In 2019 she created Tudorcon, which is now a yearly event, in addition to writing books, and running TudorFair.com - a whimsical Tudor Merch shop. She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.