The Joker-clown relation could not be more specific, as well as the relation between the clown and the figure of the trickster. Visually, some clown features in the Joker’s typical characterisation can definitely be appreciated: a pale white face with his signature grin, green hair, purple suit, and his favourite weapons are those which look like toys. His creators in DC were inspired by Conrad Veidt’s portrayal in the film The Man Who Laughs (1928), based on Victor Hugo’s novel, where the audience follows the story of a clown who was very sad, but had a constant smile on his face. These characteristics fit perfectly with the different manifestations of the trickster in different mythologies all over the world.Īnother key element that connects the Joker with the trickster is his identification as a clown. This situates it in a place in between, it interacts with humans but is not integrated into society it seems to be a character operating in the margins. It works outside of society, which gives it the perfect place to act as it wishes and satisfies its desires without being subjected to societal norms. The marginal character of the trickster seems to be a key element in the significance of this mythological figure in human culture. he is usually regarded as funny and humorous (Alanka, 2015, p. ![]() he has a creative and innovative character 4. ![]() he is a marginal figure and shows a contradictory temperament 2. Doty extracted a list of characteristics for the figure of the trickster using Hermes/Mercury as a prototype: 1. A very clear example of a trickster figure in western culture is that of Hermes, the Olympian god son of Zeus, also known as Mercury in Roman mythology. The trickster is a shapeshifter, who is able to transform into animals or people, and it is closely related to laughter and humour, so much so that sometimes it is hard to distinguish if the audience is supposed to laugh at it or with it (Rudin, 1956, p. It can easily be seen how Hermes turned a bad situation created by his childish prank into great benefit for him he's now loved by both Apollo and Zeus.Īnother showing of Hermes' intelligence is how he executed Argus to free Io, Zeus' lover that was turned into a cow.It is in Native American cultures where the most famous, and perhaps the oldest representation of a trickster figure can be found, usually related to an animal like a coyote, a raven, or a spider. Hermes showed another level of deception when he made Apollo forget about his cattle when he played him his newly invented Lyre then gave it to him as a gift (which then became one of Apollo's attributes: as a singer and a poet). That marks the point of Zeus' increasing love and dependence on Hermes as his messenger and aide. Another point that shows how intelligent Hermes was is when he reversed the marks of the cattle's hoofs: "Also, he bethought him of a crafty ruse and reversed the marks of their hoofs, making the front behind and the hind before, while he himself walked the other way." Zeus found what happened between the two to be very entertaining, he liked Hermes' deceptiveness: "But Zeus laughed out loud to see his evil-plotting child well and cunningly denying guilt about the cattle" (Homeric Hymn, ll. Here, Hermes denies that he had anything to do with Apollo's cattle by pretending to be an innocent infant that cares more about food and sleep (which he should be). Am I like a cattle-liter, a stalwart person? This is no task for me: rather I care for other things: I care for sleep, and milk of my mother's breast, and wrappings round my shoulders, and warm baths" (Homeric Hymn, ll. When confronted by Apollo, Hermes told him: "I cannot give news of them, nor win the reward for news. Hermes was a devious character since the day of his birth when he stole the cattle of Apollo. Greek Mythology tells the story of other deceptive characters, but none of them come close to the level of Hermes. ![]() Of all of his attributes, I find that he being a deceptive trickster stands out the most. He's described as: "blandly cunning, a robber, a cattle driver, a bringer of dreams, a watcher by night, a thief at the gates, one who was soon to show forth wonderful deeds among the deathless gods" in the Homeric Hymn dedicated to Hermes (ll. ![]() Hermes, son of Zeus, is one of the twelve Olympian Gods in Greek Mythology.
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