Adolf Schrödter: Falstaff and his page

This article is about the Shakespearean character. For other uses, see Falstaff (disambiguation).

Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare as a companion to Prince Hal, the future King Henry V. A fat, vainglorious, and cowardly knight, Falstaff leads the apparently wayward Prince Hal into trouble, but he is ultimately repudiated after Hal becomes king. Image File history File links Adolf_Schrödter_Falstaff_und_sein_Page. ... Image File history File links Adolf_Schrödter_Falstaff_und_sein_Page. ... Falstaff is Shakespearean character. ... A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Edmond Malone claimed, on uncertain authority, that John Heminges was the original Falstaff; an alternative is that Falstaff was written for Will Kemp, the clown of Shakespeare's company. The original actor was later succeeded by John Lowin, another comic actor. Edmond Malone (October 4, 1741 - April 25, 1812), was an Irish Shakespearean scholar and editor of the works of William Shakespeare. ... John Heminges was an actor in the Kings Men, the playing company for which William Shakespeare wrote. ... William Kempe (also spelled Kemp) (fl. ... John Lowin (baptized 9 December 1576 - buried 16th/18 March 1659) was an English actor born in London, the son of a carpenter. ...

Though primarily a comic figure, Falstaff still embodies a kind of depth common to Shakespeare's tricky comedy. In Act II, Scene III of Henry V, his death is described by the character "Hostess", possibly the Mistress Quickly of Henry IV, who describes his body in terms that echo the death of Socrates. Title page of the first quarto (1600) Henry V is a play by William Shakespeare based on the life of King Henry V of England. ... Mistress Quickly refers to either of two characters in plays by William Shakespeare: The Merry Wives of Windsor Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V (play) Category: ... Socrates (Greek: Σωκράτης, invariably anglicized as , Sǒcratēs; 470–399 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher who is widely credited for laying the foundation for Western philosophy. ...

Appearances

He appears in the following plays:

• Henry IV, part 1
• Henry IV, part 2
• The Merry Wives of Windsor

He is mentioned in Henry V but has no lines, nor is it directed that he appear on stage. However, many stage and film adaptations have seen it necessary to include Falstaff for the insight he provides into King Henry V's character. The most notable examples in cinema are Laurence Olivier's 1946 version and Kenneth Branagh's 1989 film, both of which draw additional material from the Henry IV plays. Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, widely considered the greatest of the histories. ... Henry IV part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, first published as part of Shakespeares First Folio. ... The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare featuring the fat knight Falstaff. ... Title page of the first quarto (1600) Henry V is a play by William Shakespeare based on the life of King Henry V of England. ... Henry V, (August 9 or September 16, 1387 – August 31, 1422), King of England (1413-1422), son of Henry IV by Mary de Bohun, was born at Monmouth, Wales, in August or September 1386 or 1387. ... Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (22 May 1907–11 July 1989) was an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and four-time Emmy winning English actor, director, and producer. ... Henry V is a 1944 film adaptation of the William Shakespeare play Henry V; it was released in Los Angeles in 1946. ... Kenneth Charles Branagh (born December 10, 1960) is an Emmy Award-winning Northern Irish-born British actor and film director. ... Henry V is a 1989 film directed by Kenneth Branagh, and based upon the Shakespeare play. ...

There are several works about Falstaff, inspired by Shakespeare's plays:

• Orson Welles's Chimes at Midnight (1966) compiles the two Henry IV plays into a single, condensed storyline, while adding a handful of scenes from Richard II and Henry V. The movie, also known as Falstaff, features Welles himself in the title role.
• Falstaff (1893), Giuseppe Verdi's last opera, with a libretto by Arrigo Boito. It is mostly based upon The Merry Wives of Windsor.
• Falstaff (1799), Antonio Salieri's opera, with a libretto by Carlo Prospers Defranchesi, which is also based upon The Merry Wives of Windsor.
• Falstaff (1913), a "symphonic study" by Elgar, which is a sympathetic and programmatic musical portrait.
• Sir John in Love, 1924 – 1928, an opera by composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, based upon The Merry Wives of Windsor, and notable for including an arrangement of the tune "Greensleeves".
• The Tragically Hip song "Fiddler's Green" mentions Falstaff.
• The Gus Van Sant film My Own Private Idaho offers a version of the two parts of Henry IV in which Falstaff is Bob, a derelict and petty thief.
• The novel Falstaff by Robert Nye.
• Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series, where Falstaff is an operative of Jurisfiction, the policing agency that operates within fiction to safeguard the stability of the written word. He is presented as a ladies' man.

George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American radio broadcaster, theatre director, film director and actor. ... Orson Welles, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1937 George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) is generally considered one of Hollywoods greatest directors, as well as a fine actor, broadcaster and screenwriter. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Title page of Richard II, from the fifth quarto, published in 1615. ... Falstaff is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeares play The Merry Wives of Windsor. ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Giuseppe Verdi, by Giovanni Boldini, 1886 (National Gallery of Modern Art, Rome). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Comic opera. ... A libretto is the complete body of words used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, musical, and ballet. ... Arrigo Boito (February 24, 1842 – June 10, 1918) was an Italian poet, successful journalist, novelist and composer, best known today for his opera libretti and his own opera, Mefistofele. ... 1799 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (August 18, 1750 – May 7, 1825), born in Legnago, Italy, was a composer and conductor, as well as one of the most important and famous musicians of his time. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Comic opera. ... Falstaff – Symphonic Study in C minor Op. ... 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Sir Edward Elgar Sir Edward Elgar, 1st Baronet, OM, GCVO (2 June 1857 â€“ 23 February 1934) was an English Romantic composer. ... Ralph Vaughan Williams, OM (October 12, 1872 – August 26, 1958) was an influential British composer. ... My Lady Greensleeves as depicted in an 1864 painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. ... The Tragically Hip are a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie (lead vocals and occasional acoustic guitar), Paul Langlois (guitar), Rob Baker (guitar), Gord Sinclair (bass) and Johnny Fay (drums). ... Gus Van Sant Gus Van Sant Jr. ... My Own Private Idaho is a 1991 gay-themed independent film written and directed by Gus Van Sant, loosely based on Shakespeares Henry IV, part 1. ... Robert Nye (born 1939) is a British novelist, poet and playwright. ... Jasper Fforde Jasper Fforde (born in London on 11 January 1961) is a novelist and aviator living in Wales. ... Thursday Next is the protagonist in the series of novels by Jasper Fforde. ...

Character

Falstaff by Eduard von Grützner

"What makes portly Sir John so entertaining? How is it, when his actions would repulse many in both a modern and medieval context, we find ourselves so attracted to this lying tub of lard? Speculation over the years has produced many possible answers, one no more likely than the next. Whether or not the Queen of England truly requested "Merry Wives" for herself because she was so fond of the "huge hill of flesh" (Henry IV pt I, Hal, Tavern Scene), most do find some sort of affectionate connection. Possibly his openness in his crimes, his lack of loyalty being so apparent — essentially his frankness (not so much honesty) in life, and his grinning self-determination, self observance. Image File history File links Eduard_von_Grützner_Falstaff_mit_Handschuhen. ... Image File history File links Eduard_von_Grützner_Falstaff_mit_Handschuhen. ... Mönch auf dem weg zur Brotzeit, oil on canvas by Eduard von Grützner. ...

At best, it can be said that Shakespeare's Falstaff reaches beyond merely making the audience laugh. “He is aware that life is a charade” and is markedly responsible for his situation. He besets our hearts, yea deeper still, to our diaphragms. We are his. He has been too great a humoristic character to forfeit all good impressions within the length of one play." William Shakespeare (National Portrait Gallery), in the famous Chandos portrait, artist and authenticity unconfirmed. ...

(MacLeish, Kenneth, Longman Guide to Shakespeare’s Characters, Harlow, England: Longman, 1986. pp87-88)

Falstaff is a central element in the two parts of Henry IV, a natural portion of their structure. Yet he does at times seem to be mainly a fun-maker, a character whom we both laugh with and laugh at, and almost in the same breath. Nothing has helped more to give this impression than the fat knight’s account of the double robbery at Gadshill. Even his name invites humor, as it is a sort of pun on impotence, brought on by the character's excessive consumption of alcohol.

Falstaff's character is necessary to Hal's character development just as Hotspur's temperament is necessary to his. Falstaff's wit, humor and amusing antics are needed to develop Hal. He helps us relate to Hal and his decision. We know people of all types of character and personality in our lives. They influence our thinking and decisions. So it is also necessary for Hal. Whether Falstaff is only a coward and glutton, or a person who has an "amusing" way of expressing his deeply felt personal and political beliefs is a matter of individual interpretation.

Combining the lines that Falstaff speaks in Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, Falstaff's role consists of more than 1,200 lines, making it the second largest role in all of Shakespeare, behind that of Hamlet. Falstaff's lines in The Merry Wives of Windsor are usually not included because the Falstaff of that play is generally viewed by scholars as a different depiction of the character. The third quarto of Hamlet (1605); a straight reprint of the 2nd quarto (1604) The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare and is one of his best-known and most-quoted plays. ...

Origins

It is now commonly accepted that Shakespeare originally named Falstaff "John Oldcastle", and that the Baron Cobham, a descendant of the historical John Oldcastle, complained, forcing Shakespeare to change the name. There is both textual and external evidence for this belief. In Henry IV, Part One, Falstaff's name is always unmetrical, suggesting a name change after the original composition; Prince Hal refers to Falstaff as "my old lad of the castle" in the first act of the play; the epilogue to Henry IV, Part II, moreover, explicitly disavows any connection between Falstaff and Oldcastle. Sir John Oldcastle (d. ... William Brooke (later Lord Cobbam) was Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and was returned as MP for Hythe. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

External evidence is provided by Richard James, librarian to Robert Cotton, who mentions (in the preface to a manuscript of Thomas Hoccleve's work on Oldcastle) the conflict between the Lord Chamberlain's Men and Oldcastle's descendants. Extant evidence does not conclusively settle other important questions, such as Shakespeare's motivation for using Oldcastle's name or the precise nature of Cobham's intervention. Portrait of Robert Cotton, commissioned 1626 and attributed to Cornelius Johnson (or Janssen), (1593-1661). ... Thomas Occleve (or Hoccleve) (1368 - 1450?), English poet, was born probably in 1368/9, for, writing in 1421/2 he says he was fifty-three years old (). He ranks, like his more voluminous and better known contemporary Lydgate, among those poets who have a historical rather than intrinsic importance in... The Lord Chamberlains Men was the playing company that William Shakespeare worked for as actor and playwright throughout most of his career. ...

The historical Oldcastle was unlike Falstaff in many ways; in particular, he was a Lollard who was executed for his beliefs, and he was respected by many Protestants as a martyr. Shakespeare knew an anonymous play of the 1580s, The Famous Victories of Henry V, in which Oldcastle is Henry V's companion, and Oldcastle's history is described in Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles, Shakespeare's usual source for his histories. John Wyclif gives his Bible translation to Lollards Lollardy or Lollardry was the political and religious movement of the Lollards from the late 14th century to early in the time of the English Reformation. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Raphael Holinshed (died c. ...

It is not clear, however, if Shakespeare characterized Falstaff as he did for dramatic purposes, or because of a specific desire to satirize Oldcastle or the Cobhams. Cobham was a common butt of veiled satire in Elizabethan popular literature; he figures in Ben Jonson's Every Man in His Humour and may have been part of the reason The Isle of Dogs was suppressed. It has also been suggested that Shakespeare's apparent desire to burlesque a hero of early English Protestantism indicates that he may have been a Catholic.^{[citation needed]} But Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham was sufficiently sympathetic to Catholicism that in 1603, he was imprisoned as part of the Main Plot to place Arbella Stuart on the English throne; if Shakespeare wished to use Oldcastle to embarrass the Cobhams, he seems unlikely to have done so on religious grounds. Benjamin Jonson (circa June 11, 1572 – August 6, 1637) was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. ... Every Man in His Humour was a 1598 play by British playwright Ben Jonson. ... The Isle of Dogs is play by Thomas Nashe and Ben Jonson which was performed in 1597. ... Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham succeeded his father as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports under Queen Elizabeth I of England. ... King James I of England/VII of Scotland, the first monarch to rule the Kingdoms of England and Scotland at the same time Events March - Samuel de Champlain, French explorer, sails to Canada March 24 - Elizabeth I of England dies and is succeeded by her cousin King James I of... The Main Plot was a conspiracy by English Catholics, allegedly led by lay Catholic Lord Cobham, to remove King James I of England from the English throne, replacing him by aid of Spain with his cousin Arabella (or Arbella) Stuart. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The Cobhams appear to have intervened while Shakespeare was in the process of writing either The Merry Wives of Windsor or the second part of Henry IV. The first part of Henry IV was probably written and performed in 1596, and the name Oldcastle had almost certainly been allowed by Master of the Revels Edmund Tilney. William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham may have become aware of the offensive representation after a public performance; he may also have learned of it while it was being prepared for a court performance (Cobham was at that time Lord Chamberlain). As father-in-law to the newly-widowed Robert Cecil, Cobham certainly possessed the influence at court to get his complaint heard quickly. The name is Falstaff in the first quarto, of 1598, and the epilogue to the second part, published in 1600, contains this clarification: Master of the Revels was an office within the British royal household that originally had minor responsibilities for overseeing royal festivities. ... Edmund Tilney, Master of the Revels. ... William Brooke (later Lord Cobbam) was Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and was returned as MP for Hythe. ... The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom, and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State. ... ] The Right Honourable Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, KG, PC (1 June 1563–24 May 1612), son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and half-brother of Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, statesman, spymaster and minister to Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. Lord Salisbury is the... Quarto has several meanings: In bookbinding and publishing, quarto indicates the book size which results when four leaves of the book are created from a standard size sheet of paper. ... (Redirected from 1600 in literature) See also: 15th century in literature, other events of the 16th century, 17th century in literature, list of years in literature. ...

One more word, I beseech you. If you be not too much cloyed with fat meat, our humble author will continue the story, with Sir John in it, and make you merry with fair Katharine of France where, for any thing I know, Falstaff shall die of a sweat, unless already a' be killed with your hard opinions; for Oldcastle died a martyr, and this is not the man.

The new name "Falstaff" derives from a character in Shakespeare's earlier play, Henry VI, part 1, a cowardly character based on the medieval knight Sir John Fastolf (who was also a Lollard). Changing a few letters gave Shakespeare the name by which his invention is known today. There was a historical Sir John Fastolf who fought at the Battle of Patay against Joan of Arc, which the English lost. Fastolf's previous actions as a soldier had earned him wide respect, but he seems to have became a scapegoat after the debacle. He was among the few English military leaders to avoid death or capture during the battle, and although there is no evidence that he acted with cowardice, he was temporarily stripped of his knighthood. Fastolf's role in Henry VI, Part I loosely follows these events. King Henry VI Part 1 is one of the history plays of William Shakespeare. ... Sir John Fastolf (d. ... Sir John Fastolf (d. ... Combatants Kingdom of France Kingdom of England Commanders La Hire Poton de Xaintrailles Sir John Fastolf Strength 1,500 cavalry 5,000 Casualties About 100 2,500 dead, wounded, or captured The Battle of Patay (18 June 1429) was a major battle in the Hundred Years War between the French... Joan of Arc, also known as Jeanne dArc,[1] (c. ... King Henry VI Part 1 is one of the history plays of William Shakespeare. ...

Stephen Greenblatt has suggested that writer Robert Greene may also have been an inspiration for the character of Falstaff. Notorious for a life of dissipation and debauchery somewhat similar to Falstaff, he was among the first to mention Shakespeare in his work (in Greene's Groats-Worth of Wit), suggesting to Greenblatt that the older writer may have influenced Shakespeare's characterization. Stephen Jay Greenblatt (born 1943) is a noted Shakespeare scholar and a literary critic/theorist often seen as the leader of the school known as New Historicism or as Greenblatt likes to put it, cultural poetics. He believes that all works of literature are a products of their times and... Robert Greene, BA, MA, (1558 – September 3, 1592) was an English playwright, poet, pamphleteer, and prose writer. ...

See also

• Falstaff is also the name of a British rocket. See Falstaff (rocket).
• Falstaff is an American beer originally produced by Lemp Brewing in 1903 and discontinued in 2005. In its later years, it was brewed by Pabst.
• Sir John Fastolf
• Sir John Oldcastle
• Battle of Patay
• Falstaff (opera)
• Toby Belch

Falstaff is the name of a British hypersonic research rocket. ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pabst is the name of several related people and entities: Pabst Brewing Company, a former brewery once owned by Frederick Pabst Pabst Blue Ribbon, a notable beer formerly brewed by the Pabst Brewing Company Pabst Theater, a theatrical venue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin named after the Pabst family The name Pabst... Sir John Fastolf (d. ... Sir John Oldcastle is an Elizabethan play about John Oldcastle, a controversial 14th-15th century rebel and Lollard who was seen by some of Shakespeares contemporaries as a proto-Protestant martyr. ... Combatants Kingdom of France Kingdom of England Commanders La Hire Poton de Xaintrailles Sir John Fastolf Strength 1,500 cavalry 5,000 Casualties About 100 2,500 dead, wounded, or captured The Battle of Patay (18 June 1429) was a major battle in the Hundred Years War between the French... Falstaff is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeares play The Merry Wives of Windsor. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Twelfth Night (play). ...

References

• Bloom, Harold, editor. Falstaff. New York: Chelsea House, 1992.
• Taylor, Gary. "William Shakespeare, Richard James, and the House of Cobham." Review of English Studies 58 (1987).
• Wilson, John Dover. The Fortunes of Falstaff. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1943.

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