The Character of Falstaff in Henry IV

The Character of Falstaff in Henry IV

The character Sir John Falstaff played a crucial part in Shakespeare's

Henry IV, Part 1. Falstaff portrayed a side of life that was both brutal

and harsh. This was important because ,as Falstaff was, all the other main

characters in the play were Nobles. Unlike Falstaff, the other nobles in

the play acted as nobles. Falstaff, on the other hand acted more like the

lower class people. In doing this he portrayed the thoughts and feelings

of the lower class people. As he portrayed the lower class people, Falstaff

brought the reader to think. This was because Falstaff contrasted well with

the nobles and brought out new aspects of the themes. Some of these views

brought out be Falstaff were quite harsh, in comparison to the accepted

views of the time. To help balance the harshness of his views, Falstaff was

very good natured and invoked laughter in the reader.

Falstaff lived a harsh life and the severity of his life contributed to

his views and ideas. Although he was a noble, his views reflected those of

the lower class people. Falstaff did not hold the same view of honor as any

of the other main characters in the novel. To Falstaff, honor was just a

word and nothing worth dying over. Some characters in the novel sought

honor through battle. Falstaff, on the plus side, felt that war was just a

place where people had fun. He showed this when he allowed himself to be

paid off by the upperclassmen and took the prisoners and thieves to be

killed in battle. Falstaff knew that they would just be killed and that it

was not worth it to have men with a future be killed. He, rather, led the

men with no life into battle, to be killed. Falstaff also had a different

view of loyalty than any of the other nobles. The nobles felt that one

should be loyal to all. Falstaff felt that one should be loyal only to

other thieves.

Falstaff was an excellent talker and also well versed.