that relationship becomes all the more complicated because of the richness of the creation. Not only will the label of Lord of Misrule apply to Falstaff as he appears in all three plays, but so too would the label of miles gloriosus. Falstaff defies any single label of any simple sort.
Of course, the term of Jester also will also bring with it a more than fair share of misconceptions and preconceptions. Obviously, most readers will think immediately of the Fool in King Lear or, perhaps, Feste in Twelfth Night. And, yes, these characters do bear a relationship to the stock type that is being suggested here. But to broaden the definition of this term even further, other Shakespeare creations that are implied with this definition would include Puck in Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, and Lancelot Gobbo in Merchant of Venice. The Jester does not necessarily imply only the figure that functions as a clown to entertain a king. Rather, the term is being used quite broadly here to encompass any comic character that functions as an underling or servant but who is mentally equal to or superior than the character he serves. And, often, this comic servant is far more entertaining (from both the perspectives of the servant and the audience) than the lord or master that he serves. Thus, the term Clever Servant could also apply here.
Northrop Frye also connects the “tricky slave” (dolosus servus) to the eiron (Anatomy 173).