Sir John Falstaff In Henry IV Part One

Sir John Falstaff is a character in Henry IV Part One written by William Shakespeare. He is used to break up the serious subject matter of the court and the rebels. He provides comedic relief, as his character is an overweight drunk who constantly makes jokes. He is, however, a highly debated character and people have many different opinions of him. Falstaff is overall a well liked and complex character. Two pieces of writing continuously praised Falstaff for his humor and consistency. Richard Wilbur wrote the poem “Up Jack” based on Act 5 scene 4 of Henry IV Part One. He discusses the emotions he and Hal feel when they see Falstaff supposedly dead on the ground and urges Falstaff to rise again. He praises Sir John, calling him “Great Falstaff” and saying he is “nature’s kindest earthy sun”. Wilbur also describes his

Falstaff is meant to be a lighthearted character. His purpose in the play is to let the audience have a short break from the seriousness of the rest of the storyline. He is old but has a young soul and that draws people to his jokes and idiocracy. He spins dramatic stories and lies about what happened, letting the audience laugh at his obvious lies and the fact that he made the story depict the fat drunk as a hero. Shakespeare balanced the traits of Falstaff perfectly to conjoin the rebellion and troubles of the court with Falstaff’s humor, overall leading to a better play and a more memorable and happy experience for the audience.
Falstaff is a character that can be thought of in many different ways. He can be humorous, a liar, or an idiot all depending on the perspective. He cracks jokes and lightens the storyline, lies about the ways things he experienced to make himself look better, or can be seen as just some idiotic drunk Hal is friends with. It will never be know what Shakespeare’s true meaning was behind the creation of Falstaff, but he is certainly a memorable character for any