What were the jesters like in Shakespeare's plays?

Answer 1

There are two answers to this: They were like Will Kempe and they were like Robert Armin.

One of the members of the acting company which Shakespeare belonged to and which he wrote for was a clown, a professional comedian. When the Lord Chamberlain's Men was formed, this man was Will Kempe, a well-known comedian. He had a broad sense of humour. Shakespeare wrote his plays with his company in mind so his early plays all have a part for Kempe which were adapted to his particular sense of humour. Peter in Romeo and Juliet, Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Grumio in Taming of the Shrew were all roles designed for Kempe. Touchstone and Dogberry probably were too.

But as the sixteenth century drew to a close, Kempe and the Chamberlain's Men had a falling out. Perhaps the problem is reflected in Hamlet's remarks in 3,2 when he warns the players about letting the clowns do too much ad-libbing and basically trying to steal the show. In any case, Kempe left and was replaced by Robert Armin. Armin had a darker type of humour like Kempe, and parts like the Fool in King Lear, Feste in Twelfth Night, and the comic servant in All's Well that Ends Well were written for him.