Sir John Falstaff is a recurring character in William Shakespeare’s Henriad, best known as the drunken, boastful, and dishonest companion of Prince Hal (the future King Henry V). Though often played for laughs, Falstaff is a morally bankrupt figure who lies, steals, manipulates, and uses people—especially the young prince—for personal gain. His charm and wit conceal a deep cowardice and cynicism, and his eventual rejection by Hal marks his fall from corrupt influence to pitiful irrelevance.
Biography[]
Early Life and Background (Unseen but Implied)[]
Sir John Falstaff is an aging, obese knight of England, once honored but long since disgraced. He holds the title “Sir,” suggesting that he was at one point a man of some status—likely knighted for military service or royal favor. However, by the time we meet him in Henry IV, Part 1, he has become a roguish figure of ill repute: a drunkard, liar, coward, and conman who spends most of his time at the Boar’s Head Tavern in Eastcheap.
His reputation is sustained not by honor or courage, but by wit, storytelling, and manipulation. Falstaff surrounds himself with lowlifes and gullible followers, including the young Prince Hal (the future Henry V), whom he seeks to influence and exploit.
Corrupting the Prince (Henry IV, Part 1)[]
Falstaff's rise begins through his intimate friendship with Prince Hal. He offers the prince a life of pleasure and irresponsibility, urging him to drink, consort with criminals, and scorn courtly obligations. His goal is to ingratiate himself with Hal so that once the young man ascends to the throne, Falstaff will gain wealth and power.
Despite his cowardice and laziness, Falstaff joins Hal in the rebellion campaign against the Percy family. He conscripts poor men to fight—then pockets the money meant for better soldiers, sending his underprepared recruits to die. At the Battle of Shrewsbury, Falstaff feigns death on the battlefield and later lies that he killed Hotspur, a key rebel leader, attempting to steal the honor from Prince Hal, who in fact slew Hotspur in combat.
Further Schemes and Disgrace (Henry IV, Part 2)[]
By the sequel, Falstaff is even more disreputable—older, more manipulative, and still clinging to Hal’s favor. He exploits his title and alleged war record to scam townspeople, avoid paying debts, and live lavishly off others’ generosity. He brags about his nonexistent influence, hoping Hal will reward him upon becoming king.
However, Hal grows more serious as the crown nears. After King Henry IV’s death, Hal becomes Henry V. When Falstaff approaches him publicly during the coronation, expecting a grand reward, the new king coldly rejects him, saying:
“I know thee not, old man. Fall to thy prayers.”
This devastating moment marks the fall of Falstaff. It symbolizes the death of youthful vice, and the new king’s rejection of indulgence, corruption, and disorder.
Final Humiliation (The Merry Wives of Windsor)[]
In this comedic epilogue, Falstaff is relocated to a middle-class town and attempts to seduce two married women—Mistress Ford and Mistress Page—for money. He sends them identical love letters and hopes to win them through flattery and deceit. However, the women see through his schemes and conspire to humiliate him repeatedly.
Falstaff is tricked into hiding in a laundry basket of dirty clothes, dressed as a woman and beaten, and even lured into the woods where townsfolk dress as fairies and torment him. His lechery, vanity, and self-importance are ridiculed, and he ends the play publicly shamed but unrepentant.
Death and Legacy (Reported in Henry V)[]
In Henry V, Falstaff does not appear. His off-stage death is reported by Mistress Quickly, who describes him dying “babbling of green fields,” suggesting a confused, pitiful end. His decline marks the symbolic purging of vice from the English court as King Henry V matures into a national leader.
Falstaff’s legacy remains paradoxical: a beloved comic rogue, yet also a cautionary figure of wasted potential, moral decay, and failed ambition. His fall from favor represents the inevitable consequences of living without honor in a world increasingly ruled by duty and power.
Personality[]
Falstaff is witty, corpulent, self-serving, cowardly, and amoral. He mocks ideals such as honor, chivalry, and patriotism, and thrives on deception and indulgence. Though he occasionally shows affection or insight, he is fundamentally selfish and exploitative, caring only for his pleasures and status.
Quotes[]
- “What is honour? A word. What is in that word, honour? Air.” – Henry IV, Part 1
- “Banish plump Jack, and banish all the world.” – Henry IV, Part 1
- “I know thee not, old man.” – Henry IV, Part 2 (Prince Hal rejecting Falstaff)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Originally based on the historical Sir John Oldcastle, but the name was changed after complaints from Oldcastle’s descendants.
- Falstaff was so popular in his day that Queen Elizabeth allegedly requested a play showing him in love, resulting in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
- He does not appear in Henry V, but his death is reported off-stage, symbolizing the passing of England’s youthful indulgence.
- He is often interpreted as both comic relief and a symbol of decadent, decaying morality.