Need This 3 Page EXPLICATION Essay Revised PLEASE

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Running Head: EXPLICATION

KING HENRY IV

AN EXPLICATION ON ACT III, SCENE 3

KING HENRY IV

By

William Shakespeare

Date

Falstaff is a bulky knight whose health is deteriorating due to a lack of ‘action.’ In this case he refers to the Gadshill robbery as action and equates his flabby hanging skin to an old lady’s loose-fitting dress. His attitude and anger can be seen when he lashes out at Bardolph’s honest remark regarding his bulkiness by rhetorically turning the attention to Bardolph’s nose. Sir John quickly accuses Mistress Quickly of picking his pockets upon her entry. Sir John declines to pay for clothes and his bill for food and wine. When the hostess mention the price, Falstaff boastfully declares that he can beat him or “cudgel” the prince, as he puts it, calling him a “Jack,” which meant a knave.

Peto enters marching with the prince. Falstaff responds by following them while pretending to play a tune from his short staff like a flute called a fife. A change of attitude and mood is seen in the old night when he selflessly forgives the host after he learns that Hal, the prince, had ordered the pocket picking. Shakespeare uses Falstaff to bring out satire in this part of the play. Falstaff, again, displays some emotional turmoil when he fails to be moved by the good news of the prince’s reconciliation with his father the King. His ego is bruised which adds insult to his self loath.

This last action is a term common within the military circles and Falstaff references it to show the connection between the main plot and the comical subplot. Following their interaction one can tell without Bardolph’s testimony that Falstaff is neither “fallen away” nor “dwindled,” neither mentally nor physically. Answering his own questions with witty commentary similes at the beginning of the scene (“like an old apple-john, like an old lady’s loose gown”) clearly shows that Sir John is at his “redoubtable self.” This means he is to be revered and honored. He has kept his tang like an old apple but he is not withered like it.

We observe the repeating apparent repentance mood awaken in the old knight who attributes his downfall to bad company. His hedonistic nature leaves us unsurprised to his lamentations. Furthermore, we are also not surprised when he responds to Bardolph’s remarks about his short life. With a sudden rise in spirits he replies, “Why, there it is. Come sing me a bawdy song; make me merry” (15 – 16). This scene is dominated by Falstaff’s comments on the physical appearance of Bardolph’s flaming funny nose (27 – 59) which is an unparalleled instance of words and physical appearance comedy.

Another point that can be added is the funny exaggeration that Falstaff makes about the wine that he bought for Bardolph, which he alleges to be thirty two years old. Using an exaggerated time element adds amusement while bringing out his parasitical character when he expects the prince to extend the same courtesy to him. This is also observed from his victimization of the hostess even after providing him with food, drinks and clothes. The scuffled encounters that are riled up by Falstaff exemplify his military background. This is illustrated by Falstaff’s defense mechanisms, which is to attack.

This piece that can only be referred to as bravura also shows Falstaff’s genius through his tactical responses to the prince’s inquiries. The hostess reports to Hal that Falstaff owes a huge debt to the tune of one thousand pounds which was a sizable fortune during those Shakespearean days. To this Falstaff replies by saying that his love for the prince is worth millions. However, he’d like to escape the situation while it is clear that he does not respect and admire the prince. This emotion is rightfully reserved for the King and therefore inappropriate for the prince. He finishes by admitting that all he actually had in his pockets were “tavern-reckonings, memorandums of bawdy houses and one poor penny-worth of sugar candy” (178 – 180).

He talks of the first man Adam and how he fell from grace before the world was considered evil in order to prove the weakness of the flesh and absolve himself of any wrongdoing by justifying his actions. With reference to his size, we can conclude that he was more prone than anyone else to moments of weakness. This however does not mean that he is totally absolved from his faults by his wit. His privileged status as a jester enables him to ludicrously urge the prince to “rob the exchequer” in order to take advantage of his recent reconciliation with the king. Since he does not want to lead his soldiers on foot, he suggests that the prince should steal a horse for him from the king’s stables.

The course of being cannot be determined by an East cheap tavern’s atmosphere unless one holds it in awe and reveres the shallow philosophy. Even with the fate of the nation at stake, Falstaff is unwilling, like the prince, to portray life as an extended sequence of celebrations. In his own unique character, Falstaff applauds the prince after his commanding calls to Peto and Bardolph with the sarcastic comment that Percy is riding high as the country burns.

Falstaff ends the scene by showing that an insatiable desire for food must be satisfied under any circumstance.

“Rare words! Brave world! Hostess, my breakfast, come!

O, I could wish this tavern were my drum! (229 – 230)”.

He wishes that he could command his troops from the tavern while he eats breakfast.

Reference

Somogyi, N. (2004). The Shakespeare Folios. Henry IV, Part One: The First Part of Henry the Fourth. Great Britain: Nick Hern Books