The Analysis of Sir John Falstaff of William Shakespeares Henry IV A very common to all of Shakespeares works feature is the presence of the second main character in his plays. The character that does not appear very often during the play or performs the main actions of the plot, but the one that has a great impact on all other personages and the development of events; and by that draws the attention of the reader back to the book. It is basically someone whom the reader loves the most, someone who makes us enjoy reading. In William Shakespeares Henry IV such a character is Sir John Falstaff, who is considered to be one of the most complex (and yet dramatic) characters of all Shakespeares works. Falstaff has generated an enormous amount of academic discussion for what is admittedly a very peripheral character in this play. He carries a dignified presence in the minds eye; and in him, we recognize our internal admiration and jealousy of the rebellious dual personality, “the fullness of the spirit of wit and humor bodily”, that we all secretly wish for. The multi-faceted Falstaff, in comic revolt against law and order, in his role as father figure to Prince Hal, and ultimately, in his natural ability to discern and adapt to any situation, emerges as the most complex and paradoxical character in drama (Desai).
We are as well acquainted with his person as his mind, and his jokes come upon us with double force and relish from the quantity of flesh through which they make their way, as he shakes his fat sides with laughter, or “lards the lean earth as he walks along”. Other comic characters seem, if we approach and handle them, to resolve themselves into air, “into thin air”; but this is embodied and palpable to the grossest apprehension: it lies “three fingers deep upon the ribs,” it plays about the lungs and the diaphragm with all the force of animal enjoyment. His body is like a good estate to his mind, from which he receives rents and revenues of profit and pleasure in kind, according to its extent, and the richness of the soil. He manures and nourishes his mind with jests, as he does his body with sack and sugar. He carves out his jokes, as he would a capon or a haunch of venison, where there is cut and come again; and pours out upon them the oil of gladness. His tongue drops fatness, and in the chambers of his brain “it snows of meat and drink.” He keeps up perpetual holiday and open house, and we live with him in a round, of invitations to a rump and dozen (Paris).
The Essay on Supernatural in Shakespeares Plays
In the time of William Shakespeare there was a strong belief in the existence of the supernatural. Thus, the supernatural is a recurring aspect in many of Mr. Shakespeare¹s plays. In two such plays, Hamlet and Macbeth, the supernatural is an integral part of the structure of the plot. It provides a catalyst for action, an insight into character, and augments the impact of many key scenes. The ...
Wit is often a meager substitute for pleasurable sensation; an effusion of spleen and petty spite at the comforts of others, from feeling none in itself. Falstaff’s wit is an emanation of a fine constitution; an exuberance of good-humor and good nature; an overflowing of his love of laughter and good-fellowship; a giving vent to his heart’s ease, and over-contentment with himself and others. The secret of Falstaff’s wit is for the most part a masterly presence of mind, an absolute self-possession, which nothing can disturb. His very size floats him out of all his difficulties in a sea of rich conceits; and he turns round on the pivot of his convenience, with every occasion and at a moment’s warning. His natural repugnance to every unpleasant thought or circumstance, of itself makes light of objections, and provokes the most extravagant and licentious answers in his own justification. What draws us in and makes us like Falstaff? If you ask what he enjoys, no doubt the answer is first and foremost, eating and drinking, then relaxing at the inn with his other merry friends and companions.
These things are what really matter to Falstaff. Yet we are not to suppose that he was a mere sensualist. All this is as much in imagination as in reality. His sensuality does not engross and stupefy his other faculties, but “ascends me into the brain, clears away all the dull, crude vapors that environ it, and makes it full of nimble, fiery, and delectable shapes.” His imagination keeps up the ball after his senses have done with it. He seems to have even a greater enjoyment of the freedom from restraint, of good cheer, of his ease, of his vanity, in the ideal exaggerated description, which he gives of them, than in fact. He never fails to enrich his discourse with allusions to eating and drinking, but we never see him at table. Sir John Falstaff is represented as a liar, a braggart, a coward, a glutton, etc., and yet we are not offended but delighted with him; for he is all these as much to amuse others as to gratify himself. He openly assumes all these characters to show the humorous part of them. The unrestrained indulgence of his own ease, appetites, and convenience, has neither malice nor hypocrisy in it.
The Essay on Falstaff Falstaffs Character
Falstaff: Lion or Loon In Maurice Morgans The Dramatic Character of Falstaff, he gives us a critical interpretation of the Shakespearian character, Sir John Falstaff, looking at him from every point of view but a Layman's one. He summarizes Falstaff incompletely, including quotes from Henry IV, Part Two and not as much from Henry IV, Part One, which gives more information about Old Johns character ...
In a word, he is an actor in himself almost as much as upon the stage, and we no more object to the character of Falstaff in a moral point of view than we should think of bringing an excellent comedian, who should represent him to the life. Despite his lack of care for order and responsibility, the rebel dormant in readers applauds Falstaffs defiance of the establishment of his defense. Falstaff seems to appeal to the average reader, for he relates to them (Forward).
Falstaffs main characteristic is being a staunch prankster, a Lord of Misrule (Sewell).
Up to certain point Falstaff is merely an object of pure entertainment. His character is present chiefly for the humor that arises by showcasing his ludicrous traits.
The contrast between his reputation and his real character, seen most absurdly when, at the mere mention of his name, a rebel surrenders to him, for Sir John was the unofficial but universally recognized leader of a group of petty thieves. But while ridiculousness is quite essential to the character, there is much more than just fun in him. There is no clear explanation or even a clue as to why, besides laughing at Falstaff, we are made happy by him and laugh with him. But while the foolish traits are quite essential to the character, there is an ugly side of Falstaff. The character deals with the situations surrounding the prince and the different paths he can take with his life. In some sort he uses his image in his own selfish need.
The Term Paper on Othellos Character Shakespeare Audience Macbeth
Shakespeares tragedies were extremely popular in Elizabethan times and today. A tragedy is described as a sad, serious story or play, usually ending with the death of the hero. A disastrous, fatal or dreadful event. By comparing the three plays, Macbeth, Hamlet and Othello it is possible to see how he has used techniques appropriate to tragedy and how he applied them to his plays. The opening of ...
His indulgences cause him to slowly lose his life and alienate the people around him. In one of the episodes Falstaff fakes his own death to avoid a real one at the hands of Douglas to later claim that he killed the already dead Hotspur. By this action we can see Falstaff’s pragmatism at work. He will not overlook gaining honor in battle if he can do so by avoiding its risks. When the warriors quickly become decimated on the battlefield, Falstaff famously questions the value of honor if one dies to achieve it. This might be not too appealing from the noble point of view but it is definitely practical and very useful in every day living type of behavior.
A complex character, Falstaff is both comic and dramatic with a propensity and a real gift in his ability to both avoid trouble and negative judgment by his unending ability to redeem himself by his words and actions. The universality of Sir John Falstaffs approaches to many problems and ability to solve (or, more often, avoid) them with less injuries, made William Shakespeare introduce the character later in King Henry IV, Part II. And all of the Shakespeares lovers must be grateful the writer for letting us once again enjoy Falstaff. Bibliography Desai, R.W. Falstaff: A Study of his Role in Shakespeare’s History Plays. India: Doaba House, 1976. Forward, Geoffrey G. What “Maior” is Falstaff Denying? as it appeared in Shakespeare Quarterly (Fall 1990) [http://www.shakespeare-usa.com/Maior.htm] Paris, Bernard J.
Character as a Subversive Force in Shakespeare. Ontario: Associated Press, 1991. Sewell, Arthur. Character and Society in Shakespeare. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1951..
