King Henry Iv Part One – Falstaff Notes

Falstaff J. Dover Wilson Riot and the Prodigal Prince (1943) No on bum have missed the resemblance between Riot and Falstaff Falstaff serves 2 main roles in William Shakespeares King Henry IV break open One Alternative father figure to Hal The Vice (comedic representation) As a father figure to Hal, Falstaffs influence is juxtaposed against that of Hals biologic father King Henry IV. He influences Hal to steal and behave roughly inappropriately for a prince.This influence offers comedic relief to the audience from the court smell of the play and also fork overs a starting point/lifestyle from which Hal can develop. -Falstaff holds himself much above his setting, considering himself to truly be much greater than he really is he achieves this by such actions as partaking in humorous banter with the prince while in the tavern as well as telling lies about heroic deeds he presumably achieved. practise 3 Scene 3 line 10-15 Comic representation of Falstaffs virtues -defends himse lf and by doing so highlights his misdeeds -swore little gambled no more than 7 long time a week -went to a prostitute house not more often than every 15 mins -paid off his debts that he keeps burrowing -lived in a good moral compass Falstaff is associated with the Devil of the miracle play and the Vice of the godliness play and misleads Hal in such a way as to provide amusement and to lower Hals standing to provide contrast to his upgrade and in such a way as to allow for intellect to his character but is also obvious to the audience that the reign of this grand Lord of Misrule must have an end, that Falstaff mu be rejected by the Prodigal Prince, (J.Dover Wilson) Shakespeare also uses Falstaff in order to explain and palliate the Princes love of rioting and wantonness a devil in the coincidence of an old fat man a very different diverseness of poet, who imagined a very different kind of satin. J. Dover Wilson Falstaff symbolizes, on the wiz hand, all the feasting and good cheer for which Eastcheap stood, and reflects, on the other, the shifts, subterfuges, and shady tricks that shitty gentlemen and soldiers were put to if they wished to keep afloat and gratify their appetites in the London infernal region of the late sixteenth century.