Falstaff

A detailed Summary of Falstaff

"Banish plump Jack, and banish all the world," (2.4.497-498) is Sir John Falstaff's plea to Prince Hal and is the view of nearly every reader who partakes in William Shakespeare's, Henry IV. At first the reader may view Falstaff as only a drunken, belligerent, thief, but as the play progresses one can see that he is no mere foil. Sir John Falstaff is a very complex character that the reader admires because he is comic and dramatic with a great ability to avoid trouble and negative judgment through his words and actions. Falstaff is considered to be one of the greatest and most powerful characters in English literature because although he is misbehaving and has many amiss characteristics, he admits his faults and makes light of them, allows readers to relate and live vicariously through him, and has a distinct and yet very interesting opinion of honor which greatly contrasts with the other characters' view of it.

At the first glimpse of Falstaff the reader sees that he is a criminal and a poor example of a human being. He steals, drinks, lies, is a womanizer, and is very obese yet he admits to these characteristics and turns his faults into something humorous, which serves in winning over the reader's opinion of hi

What is honor? A word...Who hath it? He that died o'Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No. 'Tis insensible, then? Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the willing? No. Why? Detraction will not suffer it. Therefore, I'll none of it. Honor is a mere scutcheon.(5.5.135-141)

He proves his belief when he encounters Douglas in battle and fakes death because he knows that he would have little chance in defeating such a formidable opponent. "The better part of valor is discretion," (5.4.122) is how he describes reasoning in his masquerade. Overall, Falstaff subscribes to the theory that it is better to avoid danger and thus avoid the possibility of harm rather than to take risks.

Sir John Falstaff, one of the most famous comic characters in all English literature, endows the reader with his exploits and his wittiness. Adoration for him is so great that not only does the average reader love him, but even Elizabeth I, Queen of England adored Falstaff and requested that Shakespeare write a play focusing on Sir John. It truly seems that Hal be the only person, real or fictional, that wishes Sir John Falstaff be banished.

I was as virtuously given as a gentleman need to be, virtuous enough: swore little; diced not above seven times - a week; went to a bawdy house not above once in a quarter - of an hour; paid money that I borrowed - three or four times; lived well and in good compass; and now I live out of all order, out of all

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Approximate Word count = 998
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English