A medieval court jester was handsomely paid for his services. In fact, some were quite well off. Often, he enjoyed a permanent place of residence in the king's castle, but some were given large tracts of land with a home. The less lucky jesters traveled from place to place, lacking a permanent residence and living in poverty.

Although they were granted quite a bit of freedom, excessive behavior commonly resulted in a jester being whipped. There were two types of jesters (or, fools). The first type was a natural fool that was moronic and nit-witted and could not help what he said. The second type was the licensed fool to whom the courts gave leeway.

Because of this, it was not an easy life - while it sounds similar to that of a comedian or modern-day performer, jesters were, indeed, subject to the mercy of the court and were expected to put on a good show, not just a show. What they did: Court Jesters were often expected to serve and entertain the king/queen.