2024年5月15日发(作者：公幻儿)
An analysis of the characters of Sir John Falstaff
Name: 何荣慧 Class: 2010级英语教育（6）班 No.: 27
Introduction
Sir John Falstaff is one of the famous figures in Shakespeare‟s Henry
Ⅳ
. He is a very
complicated character. He is the prince drinking buddy, both optimistic and humorous
boaster and a liar, neither the concept of moral honor nor bad heart. Meanwhile, he lives in
the people from feudal society to the modern period of social transition, he did not
aggressive new public class, but infected with a happy optimism and their self-enjoyment, he
used the kidding and laugh, fun to seek life. He represents a lot of feudal retainer who were
thrown out of noble households in the period of the breaking up of old feudal relation and
the forming of new bourgeois ones. In order to make people know Falstaff more clearly and
objectively, this paper seeks to find out characters of Falstaff. The first part is to introduce
the image of Falstaff. The second part is to find out the causes of shaping the character of
Falstaff .The last part is comments on Sir John Falstaff.
Ⅰ.The image of Sir John Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is one of the most brilliant creations in Shakespeare‟s plays. He was a
courtly page and a solider when his young days. But after he has lost his estates and become
an adventurer and parasite. Falstaff is fat , old, ugly, gross, and guilty of many sins. He is
Prince Hal‟s boon companion. There is much fun in his drunken revels with Henry in the
Boar‟s Head Tavern, in his torrents of lies and boasts. Lies sprout out of him like mushrooms
on a rich and rotten bed of earth. He says he has fought alone against two man. The next
moment it is four. Presently we have seven, the eleven, then fourteen. He is stopped in time,
or he would soon be talking of a whole army. When unmasked, he does not lose his temper,
and is the first to laugh at his own boasting.
Falstaff is selfish, treacherous and cynical. He does not hesitate in the least to seek profit
whenever there is a chance. When commissioned to recruit a company for the army, he
pricks for service rich citizens, but allows them to buy out their services, so that his pockets
might be filled with bribes. In the end he leads to the battlefield a pack of old soldiers,
discarded servants, stablemen and paupers. He speaks of them heartlessly:＂Tut ,tut; good
enough to toss; food for powder, food for powder; they‟ll fill a pit as well as better: tush, man,
mortal men.＂(Henry Ⅳ,partⅠ,Ⅳ.3.)
Falstaff comes to the battlefield without illusions. In contrast with Hotspur, “the flower
of the chivalry to England,” who is ready “ to pluck bright honor, i.e. the honor of the
decaying aristocracy, “ from the pale---fac‟d moon,” Falstaff, the poverty---stricken knight
and adventurer, is altogether practical. He comes to the battlefield and, finding a nobleman
lying dead on the ground ,say:＂I like not such gringo honor as Sir Walter hath ; give me
life ; which if I can save ; if not ,honor comestible unlooked for, and there‟s an end.＂ He
philosophizes on honor in a well-known soliloquy:“Can honor set to a leg? no or an arm?
No .or take away the grief of a wound? no. honor hath no skill in surgery, then? no. What is
honor? A word. What is that word, honor? Air .A trim reckoning! Who hath it? he that died
o‟Wednesday. Doth he feel it? no. Doth he hear it? no. It is insensible, then? Yea, to the dead.
But will it not live with the living? no. Why? detraction will not suffer it. Therefore I‟ll have
none of it; honor is a mere scutcheon; and so ends my catechism.”（PartⅠ.Ⅴ.1.）This
contempt for the honor of noble classes was a striking feature of the period of the decline of
feudalism and the rise of the bourgeoisie. On the battlefield, when one of the rebels attacks
him, he falls down to play dead. He lies beside the slain Hostpur. The Prince Hal returns and
gives an epitaph on the moment, Falstaff spring to life and pretends to have
killed Hotspur himself. His motto is:“The better part of valour is discretion.” He is so
carefree and witty in his rascality that he has a charm of his own.
In fact, Falstaff is a very innocent man. After the battle he return to the Boar‟s head
again. As soon an he hears of the news that Prince Hal has ascended the throne, Falstaff goes
to London, confident of his warm reception by the new King. But he is wrong. Henry , to be
a successful king, must repudiate Falstaff.
Ⅱ. Causes of shaping the character of Falstaff
A. Social Background
The history of knight must be traced back the A.D 800, the kingdom Charlemagne
unifies Western Europe, and he is called “great Roman emperor”. From that time there
appears a very special class-knight, they take the uniform for military obligation and serve
as the condition to obtain kingdom or the big feudal lord. The knight is quite noble but the
glory position, therefore the man wants to become the knight on condition that he comes
from aristocratic family. At the same time, in order to study each kind of culture and the
tactics, and to learn the decent manners all knights must accept all kinds of training when
they are children. But the birth of Falstaff is not casual. For one thing, at his time the knight
system has been decayed and the humanism is in the embryonic stage, Falstaff represents the
special class that be deemed to die, because he does not want to do anything for themselves
and idle about, although the ideas of feudal system still has been rooted in people‟ mind. For
another thing, the Renaissance has been emerged at that time. During the period of the
Renaissance, in order to pursue the happiness and freedom the human beings has started to
throw off their shackles which has fixed them one generation after one generation. Falstaff is
a typical example. Though he is a knight, he does not care about social regulation, and does
do what he wants, all this reflects the happy and lovable climate. So the complex and
contradictory characters of Falstaff are formed by his class status and social condition.
B. Psychological Factor
Most people usually consider that individual characters have two aspects. The one is the
actions in reality which often reflect the human beings‟ practice, the another is motive of
actions which represent the mental movement. the psychologists regard the characters of
human beings as formed by two basic requirements, which are nature purpose and cultural
purpose. Falstaff is a knight and has decent status, in order to live and get the love he has to
talk big, tell lies and often be teased by others. Without those things, the characters of
Falstaff cannot make a deep impression in people‟s mind.
Ⅲ. Comments on Sir John Falstaff
Different people hold different views on the character of Falstaff. Falstaff is the product
of a transition period when feudal ties are being dissolved and the capitalist society is not yet
in birth. He is no longer a feudal lord, yet he cannot become a capitalist. He is only a social
parasite, moving about with a big belly, eating, drinking, and doing nothing.
The character of Falstaff, in Shakespeare‟s play Henry IV Part One, serves as an
emblem of frivolity and carelessness within a world filled with social and political
significance. Falstaff scorns the world of politics and moral decisions in favor of existing
from moment to moment. Though he dislikes this "other world", Falstaff realizes he must
sometimes come in contact with it. Through this speech, Falstaff places himself firmly out of
any moral world concerned with justice or honor, instead living for no other reason than life
itself. For instance, Falstaff‟s speech comes after the King and Prince Hal decide to war
against the army of Hotspur. Though they wait on word from Worcester, the probability of
conflict seems high. Falstaff knows that when the battle comes, he is going to be in the
middle of it. Shortly before his speech on the nature of honor, Falstaff shows fear that he
might be hurt. The Prince‟s rejection of the request shows his scorn for Falstaff‟s desire to
passively preserve only his own life. Throughout the last half of the play, as the Prince drifts
away from Falstaff, Falstaff‟s role in the action of the play as a whole diminishes. The
importance placed upon the idea of honor allows Hal to assume his rightful position beside
the King, while Falstaff dims into the background.
Falstaff‟s idea of honor is directly linked to his sense of time itself. In the opening lines of his
speech, Falstaff says, “Tis not due yet: I would be loath to pay him before his day.”We see
Falstaff, on occasion of the robbery at Gads-Hill, in the very act of running away from the
Prince and Poins, and we behold him, on another of more honorable obligation, in open day
light, in battle, and acting in his profession as a Soldier, escaping from Douglas even out of
the world as it were; pretending death, and deserting his very existence; and we find him on
the former occasion, betrayed into those lies and boastful words, which are the usual
concomitants of coward in military action, and pretenders to valor.
At last but not least, Falstaff is an excellent talker and also well versed. He expresses his
ideas through his words and action. Falstaff presents many harsh, realistic ideas in the play.
These ideas are balanced with his good nature. Falstaff is a lovable character and invokes
deep emotions in the reader. Since Falstaff„s views invokes thought in the reader. Through
their contrast to the other noble„s views, and since pain is used to balance his views, Falstaff
invoked "thoughtful sadness" in the reader. we have found that Falstaff‟s indulgences cause
him to slowly lost his life and alienate people around him, but he brings happiness and
delight to people no matter how hard his condition. We also have found that there are
complication existed in his characters. Though he is knight and has decent status, he has to
lose his face and do some ridiculous things; though he is very old and fat, his wit to please
people is proper with them. The human being has started to pay attention to themself since
the Renaissance has appeared. The Romanticism of Falstaff is presented by his words and
actions. The realistic meanings of Falstaff‟s character are his courage which is often
different from public voices. In addition, we also find out the causes of shaping the character
of Falstaff. On one hand, the birth of Falstaff is not casual, at that time the knight system
has been decayed and the humanism is in the embryonic stage, Falstaff represents the special
class that should be doomed to die, because they do not want to do anything for themselves
and idle about. On the other hand, the character is a pursuing system and this kind of
pursing system is motivation that forces the human being to do something for themselves
and others.
Engels explains the “Falstaffian background” in a historical play as “ a variety of
quaintly characteristic character sketches” found “at this period of dissolution of feudal ties
in the penniless ruling kings, poverty—stricken free---lancers and adventurers of all sorts.”
This may serve as a guide to a correct understanding of the image of Sir John Falstaff. In a
word, Falstaff is complex person, so his characters are complicate and contradictory.
2024年5月15日发(作者：公幻儿)
An analysis of the characters of Sir John Falstaff
Name: 何荣慧 Class: 2010级英语教育（6）班 No.: 27
Introduction
Sir John Falstaff is one of the famous figures in Shakespeare‟s Henry
Ⅳ
. He is a very
complicated character. He is the prince drinking buddy, both optimistic and humorous
boaster and a liar, neither the concept of moral honor nor bad heart. Meanwhile, he lives in
the people from feudal society to the modern period of social transition, he did not
aggressive new public class, but infected with a happy optimism and their self-enjoyment, he
used the kidding and laugh, fun to seek life. He represents a lot of feudal retainer who were
thrown out of noble households in the period of the breaking up of old feudal relation and
the forming of new bourgeois ones. In order to make people know Falstaff more clearly and
objectively, this paper seeks to find out characters of Falstaff. The first part is to introduce
the image of Falstaff. The second part is to find out the causes of shaping the character of
Falstaff .The last part is comments on Sir John Falstaff.
Ⅰ.The image of Sir John Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is one of the most brilliant creations in Shakespeare‟s plays. He was a
courtly page and a solider when his young days. But after he has lost his estates and become
an adventurer and parasite. Falstaff is fat , old, ugly, gross, and guilty of many sins. He is
Prince Hal‟s boon companion. There is much fun in his drunken revels with Henry in the
Boar‟s Head Tavern, in his torrents of lies and boasts. Lies sprout out of him like mushrooms
on a rich and rotten bed of earth. He says he has fought alone against two man. The next
moment it is four. Presently we have seven, the eleven, then fourteen. He is stopped in time,
or he would soon be talking of a whole army. When unmasked, he does not lose his temper,
and is the first to laugh at his own boasting.
Falstaff is selfish, treacherous and cynical. He does not hesitate in the least to seek profit
whenever there is a chance. When commissioned to recruit a company for the army, he
pricks for service rich citizens, but allows them to buy out their services, so that his pockets
might be filled with bribes. In the end he leads to the battlefield a pack of old soldiers,
discarded servants, stablemen and paupers. He speaks of them heartlessly:＂Tut ,tut; good
enough to toss; food for powder, food for powder; they‟ll fill a pit as well as better: tush, man,
mortal men.＂(Henry Ⅳ,partⅠ,Ⅳ.3.)
Falstaff comes to the battlefield without illusions. In contrast with Hotspur, “the flower
of the chivalry to England,” who is ready “ to pluck bright honor, i.e. the honor of the
decaying aristocracy, “ from the pale---fac‟d moon,” Falstaff, the poverty---stricken knight
and adventurer, is altogether practical. He comes to the battlefield and, finding a nobleman
lying dead on the ground ,say:＂I like not such gringo honor as Sir Walter hath ; give me
life ; which if I can save ; if not ,honor comestible unlooked for, and there‟s an end.＂ He
philosophizes on honor in a well-known soliloquy:“Can honor set to a leg? no or an arm?
No .or take away the grief of a wound? no. honor hath no skill in surgery, then? no. What is
honor? A word. What is that word, honor? Air .A trim reckoning! Who hath it? he that died
o‟Wednesday. Doth he feel it? no. Doth he hear it? no. It is insensible, then? Yea, to the dead.
But will it not live with the living? no. Why? detraction will not suffer it. Therefore I‟ll have
none of it; honor is a mere scutcheon; and so ends my catechism.”（PartⅠ.Ⅴ.1.）This
contempt for the honor of noble classes was a striking feature of the period of the decline of
feudalism and the rise of the bourgeoisie. On the battlefield, when one of the rebels attacks
him, he falls down to play dead. He lies beside the slain Hostpur. The Prince Hal returns and
gives an epitaph on the moment, Falstaff spring to life and pretends to have
killed Hotspur himself. His motto is:“The better part of valour is discretion.” He is so
carefree and witty in his rascality that he has a charm of his own.
In fact, Falstaff is a very innocent man. After the battle he return to the Boar‟s head
again. As soon an he hears of the news that Prince Hal has ascended the throne, Falstaff goes
to London, confident of his warm reception by the new King. But he is wrong. Henry , to be
a successful king, must repudiate Falstaff.
Ⅱ. Causes of shaping the character of Falstaff
A. Social Background
The history of knight must be traced back the A.D 800, the kingdom Charlemagne
unifies Western Europe, and he is called “great Roman emperor”. From that time there
appears a very special class-knight, they take the uniform for military obligation and serve
as the condition to obtain kingdom or the big feudal lord. The knight is quite noble but the
glory position, therefore the man wants to become the knight on condition that he comes
from aristocratic family. At the same time, in order to study each kind of culture and the
tactics, and to learn the decent manners all knights must accept all kinds of training when
they are children. But the birth of Falstaff is not casual. For one thing, at his time the knight
system has been decayed and the humanism is in the embryonic stage, Falstaff represents the
special class that be deemed to die, because he does not want to do anything for themselves
and idle about, although the ideas of feudal system still has been rooted in people‟ mind. For
another thing, the Renaissance has been emerged at that time. During the period of the
Renaissance, in order to pursue the happiness and freedom the human beings has started to
throw off their shackles which has fixed them one generation after one generation. Falstaff is
a typical example. Though he is a knight, he does not care about social regulation, and does
do what he wants, all this reflects the happy and lovable climate. So the complex and
contradictory characters of Falstaff are formed by his class status and social condition.
B. Psychological Factor
Most people usually consider that individual characters have two aspects. The one is the
actions in reality which often reflect the human beings‟ practice, the another is motive of
actions which represent the mental movement. the psychologists regard the characters of
human beings as formed by two basic requirements, which are nature purpose and cultural
purpose. Falstaff is a knight and has decent status, in order to live and get the love he has to
talk big, tell lies and often be teased by others. Without those things, the characters of
Falstaff cannot make a deep impression in people‟s mind.
Ⅲ. Comments on Sir John Falstaff
Different people hold different views on the character of Falstaff. Falstaff is the product
of a transition period when feudal ties are being dissolved and the capitalist society is not yet
in birth. He is no longer a feudal lord, yet he cannot become a capitalist. He is only a social
parasite, moving about with a big belly, eating, drinking, and doing nothing.
The character of Falstaff, in Shakespeare‟s play Henry IV Part One, serves as an
emblem of frivolity and carelessness within a world filled with social and political
significance. Falstaff scorns the world of politics and moral decisions in favor of existing
from moment to moment. Though he dislikes this "other world", Falstaff realizes he must
sometimes come in contact with it. Through this speech, Falstaff places himself firmly out of
any moral world concerned with justice or honor, instead living for no other reason than life
itself. For instance, Falstaff‟s speech comes after the King and Prince Hal decide to war
against the army of Hotspur. Though they wait on word from Worcester, the probability of
conflict seems high. Falstaff knows that when the battle comes, he is going to be in the
middle of it. Shortly before his speech on the nature of honor, Falstaff shows fear that he
might be hurt. The Prince‟s rejection of the request shows his scorn for Falstaff‟s desire to
passively preserve only his own life. Throughout the last half of the play, as the Prince drifts
away from Falstaff, Falstaff‟s role in the action of the play as a whole diminishes. The
importance placed upon the idea of honor allows Hal to assume his rightful position beside
the King, while Falstaff dims into the background.
Falstaff‟s idea of honor is directly linked to his sense of time itself. In the opening lines of his
speech, Falstaff says, “Tis not due yet: I would be loath to pay him before his day.”We see
Falstaff, on occasion of the robbery at Gads-Hill, in the very act of running away from the
Prince and Poins, and we behold him, on another of more honorable obligation, in open day
light, in battle, and acting in his profession as a Soldier, escaping from Douglas even out of
the world as it were; pretending death, and deserting his very existence; and we find him on
the former occasion, betrayed into those lies and boastful words, which are the usual
concomitants of coward in military action, and pretenders to valor.
At last but not least, Falstaff is an excellent talker and also well versed. He expresses his
ideas through his words and action. Falstaff presents many harsh, realistic ideas in the play.
These ideas are balanced with his good nature. Falstaff is a lovable character and invokes
deep emotions in the reader. Since Falstaff„s views invokes thought in the reader. Through
their contrast to the other noble„s views, and since pain is used to balance his views, Falstaff
invoked "thoughtful sadness" in the reader. we have found that Falstaff‟s indulgences cause
him to slowly lost his life and alienate people around him, but he brings happiness and
delight to people no matter how hard his condition. We also have found that there are
complication existed in his characters. Though he is knight and has decent status, he has to
lose his face and do some ridiculous things; though he is very old and fat, his wit to please
people is proper with them. The human being has started to pay attention to themself since
the Renaissance has appeared. The Romanticism of Falstaff is presented by his words and
actions. The realistic meanings of Falstaff‟s character are his courage which is often
different from public voices. In addition, we also find out the causes of shaping the character
of Falstaff. On one hand, the birth of Falstaff is not casual, at that time the knight system
has been decayed and the humanism is in the embryonic stage, Falstaff represents the special
class that should be doomed to die, because they do not want to do anything for themselves
and idle about. On the other hand, the character is a pursuing system and this kind of
pursing system is motivation that forces the human being to do something for themselves
and others.
Engels explains the “Falstaffian background” in a historical play as “ a variety of
quaintly characteristic character sketches” found “at this period of dissolution of feudal ties
in the penniless ruling kings, poverty—stricken free---lancers and adventurers of all sorts.”
This may serve as a guide to a correct understanding of the image of Sir John Falstaff. In a
word, Falstaff is complex person, so his characters are complicate and contradictory.