Henry IV, I

THESIS: Falstaff is Hal’s surrogate father, his friend, his mentor and his drinking buddy in I Henry IV, but he will abandon Falstaff in II Henry IV when duty calls and, Falstaff will die in Henry V because of his pain over Hal’s (the newly crowned king) banishment of him. Nonetheless, in I Henry IV, Falstaff serves the role of surrogate father while at the same time serv

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h comedy. After serious dramatic moments or before them, we are given the comedic moments between Falstaff and Hal and these serve to keep us wondering about what has just happened or will happen that is more serious. Thus, Falstaff also serves the role of raising the level of dramatic tension, but he does so through humor and comedy. This is why Falstaff is always changing the subject or redirecting it, like he does with the Chief Justice when the Chief Justice wants to speak with him about his own behavior and he redirects the conversation to the illness of the King. He also does this with Hal, as the following reply to Hal’s charges that Falstaff is lying about the true events that occurred at Gadshill demonstrate, “Ah, no more of that, Hal, and thou lovest me!” (II. iv. 284). Hal does love Falstaff, but this will not stop him from abandoning his corpulent buffoon when duty calls and Hostpur’s rebellion becomes a serious threat. Hal does prefer the company of Falstaff to the duties of being the son of a king. However, he will heed the call of duty when the threat to his father’s crown becomes serious. Hal can be seen as the young son of a wealthy businessman who prefers the company of cronies like Falstaff, women, an
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Approximate Word count = 2057
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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