Lavatch and Clowns in Art and Shakespeare

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the wise fool or the sad clown. I love the fools in Shakespeare, and I love Picasso's circus performers. It seems pertinent that artists depict themselves as these characters, Picasso explicitly representing himself and his friends as traveling players, and in more subtle or nuanced ways, Shakespeare depicts the actors of performance in his plays, which functions nicely as a symbol of himself and his work.

In All's Well, the fool is named Levatch, and he's a bit of a curious character, sometimes overshadowed by the boisterous Paroles. The Globe education website gives some lovely interviews from their recent production of All's Well, including two with Colin Hurley the actor playing Lavatch. Here is the link to the first, and the second interviews. Do enjoy. Also, here are some Picasso harlequins, circus performers and just sad clowns. I imagine we'll use some of these ideas in costuming Levatch, and possibly Paroles as well.