The Comic Fool and Butt of the Joke

Another important concept within Blackadder is that of the comic fool and butt of the joke, which are closely connected. Orrin Klapp (1949, p. 157-159) outlines their categorisation of different comic fools, with the “simple fool” and “comic butt” standing out amongst the others which can easily be associated with the character of Baldrick:

Baldrick is naïve (he buys a large turnip for £400,000 in “Dish and Dishonesty”, Curtis, Elton & Fletcher, 1987a), he is senseless (“Not to worry my lord, the arrow didn’t in fact enter my body. By a thousand-to-one chance, my willy got in the way.”, “Bells”, Curtis, Elton & Fletcher, 1986a), he is backward (he cannot do simple maths in “Head”, Curtis, Elton & Fletcher, 1986b), and he is rustic (even when wearing a wedding dress in “Bells”, he is still somehow dirty and grotesque). Klapp continues by saying how the “role of the comic butt is played particularly by deformed, weak, and simple fools” (p. 159), which matches Baldrick’s description exactly.

Two other types of fool which Klapp defines, and which the character of Blackadder is better categorised under, are the Pompous Fool, who are “persons of rank, age, or great size” and are “deflated or ‘shown up’ by revelation of pretense, defeat by a lesser rival, or a mistake, and thus made fools” (p. 159), and the mock hero, which is “made by casting an ineffective person in the role or pose of the hero” who “performs the gestures of the hero, but his weaknesses are apparent through his armor” (p. 159).

One thing all the classifications have in common is that the fool has no power and is often the object of amusement or ridicule. Klapp concludes with “Everybody avoids the role of the fool. Fear of ridicule may be as strong as fear of punishment or death” (p. 162), however, this is not always observed in Blackadder, particularly with the characters of Baldrick, Percy, or George.

It can’t really be said that they are attempting to avoid the role of the fool, and in certain instances they are depicted to be more intelligent than at first glance, such as how George is a talented painter in “Captain Cook”.

This is interesting because the series explores ideas of power relations and superiority, but at times questions the superiority. However, this does not happen with the character of Baldrick, who is never shown to be superior and is unable to escape his position and evolves into the continual fool by Goes Forth. George and Percy can demonstrate superiority through power and class, but their relationship is not actively hostile in any of the series – to Blackadder, they are always the fool, even in instances where George shows a higher-class status such as in Goes Forth when interacting with General Melchett and singing their school song (“Captain Cook”). Blackadder can become the butt but relies heavily on his joke telling and awareness of the situation he finds himself in in order to resolve these situations.

The importance of power within a comedic situation is clear: those who hold the power are usually in control of, or are attempting to gain control of the situation, however the constant seeking of power by Blackadder is also the instigator for these situations.

His joke telling is used to belittle a person or situation, but above all assert his power, which requires there to be a butt to the joke. Blackadder becomes the butt of the joke more frequently throughout the series as he descends through the social ladder. We will extend these ideas into later posts.