Essay on Falstaff in Henry IV Part I -- Henry IV Henry V Essays

The Character of Falstaff in Henry IV P artistic production I In Henry IV Part I, Shakespeare presents a collection of traditional heroes. Hotspurs laudable valor, King Henrys militaristic reign, and Hals majestic transformation echo the socially extolled values of the Elizabethean male. Molding themselves after societal standards, these flat characters contrast Sir John Falstaffs round, spirited personality. Through Falstaffs unpredictable behavior and flagrant disregard for cultural traditions, Shakespeare advocates ones personal values above societys. Extolled as the essence of Shakespeares dramatic art (Bloom 299) and ridiculed as the symbol of self-indulgence and vice, the character of Sir John Falstaff, a loquacious knight, elicits a dichotomy within the Shakespearean critical community. This controversy originates in the interpreting of Shakespeares intention in creating Sir John Falstaff. Literary critics such as John Dover Wilson and Edgar Stoll espouse that Shakespeare created Falstaff to serve as Hals attendant spirit...typifying chest in every sense of the word (Wilson 17). These anti-Falstaff carpers claim that the theme of Henry IV Part I, being a morality play, is the growing-up of a madcap prince into the model king (Wilson 22). If this were the case then Falstaff, a besotted and disgusting old wretch (Shaw qtd. in Goddard 71), represents an obstacle that Hal must overcome to tranform into a regal king. assert that Hal associates Falstaff...with the devil (Wilson 20), being the antithesis of heroism and virtue, Falstaff symbolizes...the feasting and good cheer for which Eastcheap stood, and reflects...the shifts, subterfuges, and shady tricks that decayed gentleman and soldiers were put to if they wi... ...is rivals Hal gives up any personal freedom he might have displayed in order to follow in his fathers footsteps. Falstaff survives, not only years, but through centuries as well. Lauded, ridiculed, and analyzed Falstaff surpasses endin g by continuously published literary criticism and interpretation. No other Shakespearean character is as studied, examined, or investigated. Fascinating to spectators, Falstaff is a character that lead follow the audience out of the theatre. Works CitedHazlitt, William. Hazlitts Works. 8 vols. Ed. W. Carew Hazlitt. London George Bell, 1905.Hazlitt, William. Hazlitts Criticism of Shakespeare A Selection. Ed. R. S.White. New York Edwin Mellen, 1996Becker Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare The Invention of the Human. New York Riverhead Books, 1998BradleyDesaiMorgannShawStollWilsonGoddart