While foolishness is a common term with which many contemporary readers will be familiar, the precise role of the fool in society enjoys a rich and diverse history. Professional fools are thought to have originated as early as ancient Egypt when Pharaohs would bring Pygmy peoples from other lands (likely the African tropics) as dancers and entertainers. Part of the entertainment value of fools at this time was their feigned imbecility, and people of high status enjoyed watching the antics of the seemingly half-witted performers. Fools were also present in ancient Roman households as symbols of a family's wealth. They were also often deformed or crippled, characteristics that made them more valuable in the slave markets.
Perhaps the best-known and most widely popularized image of fools, however, stems from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, particularly in Europe. Fools continued to be markers of noblemen's wealth and status, and they were soon also attached to royalty, performing frequently at various European courts. Fools have come to be closely associated with Renaissance England for two major reasons: first, fools figured prominently in the courts of Elizabeth I and later James I, both monarchs with investment in entertainment and the arts. Second, with the rise of early modern drama as entertainment for the masses, fools became notable characters in these performances. Famous playwrights like William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Jonson all produced work that featured fools, clowns, jesters, and other laughable roles.
These plays often portrayed fools in a somewhat ambivalent light. While fools were mocked and ridiculed by the more central high-class or royal characters, critics have noted that fools in early modern drama often possess clandestine wisdom and knowledge – wisdom that, foolishly, the main characters often ignore. Thus, the representation of fools in early modern drama addressed the notion that professional foolishness was just that: a profession, or a performance of feigned imbecility rather than genuine behavior. In terms of "Gimpel the Fool," these same power dynamics become integral to the story as Gimpel realizes that his role as a fool depends not on whether he is actually foolish but instead on the fact that the townspeople want to increase their own standing by having someone to ridicule.
