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henry4.txt
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1993-06-20
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Falstaff and King Henry: Similar Characters
Throughout the play Henry IV:Part I,there are many
similarities between characters. Two that seem particularly alike
are Falstaff and King Henry. Their common traits are demonstrated
by Shakespeare in many subtle and not-so-subtle ways. While
Falstaff seems to be able to accept himself for what he is, the
King appears to be tied up in his image as a great ruler, and thus
will never admit to being anything less than great.
The characters of Falstaff and the King at first seem to be
diametrically opposed opposites in terms of personality, yet they
share many common traits. Falstaff is a thief; he admits to being
a robber of purses, and, in fact, is pursued by the Sheriff at one
point. The king is also a thief; instead of robbing purses from
travellers, he stole an entire empire from Richard II, whom he also
had murdered. In their ways of dealing with people, especially
under uncomfortable circumstances, the two also behave in like
ways. It is well known that Falstaff often works his way out of
unpleasant situations using only his wit. The King is continuously
modifying his behavior to suit the occasion, such as when he is
dealing with Hotspur and the opposing Vassals and when he deals
with Hal at the royal court. Both Falstaff and the King live,to a
great extent, by the sharpness of their minds: Falstaff as a
criminal, and the King as a politician. Another similar facet of
these two characters is their view of bravery. Both the King and
Falstaff subscribe to the theory that it is better to avoid danger
and thus avoid the possibility of harm than to take risks.
Falstaff does this on several occasions,such as when he played dead
during the battle to avoid injury. At this same battle, the King
employed similar tactics, when he had many of his men disguised to
look like him and thus him hard to find. It is in these ways that
Falstaff and the King are alike; it would appear that their only
real differences are in how they see themselves.
A politician and a thief can be said to have many things in common.
The amount of similarity between Falstaff and the King seems
ironic when shown against their sharply contrasting outward
appearances. This close comparison of the politician to the common
thief that seems to suggest that their only difference is in how
they go about their tasks and how they feel about their images.
Since Falstaff admits that he is a thief and the King doesn't, it
can even be said that Falstaff is more truthful to himself than the
King is. Falstaff and the King, therefore, make an interesting
parallel.