Talk:John Falstaff

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the John Falstaff article.
This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject.

Put new text under old text. Click here to start a new topic.
New to Wikipedia? Welcome! Learn to edit; get help.

Article policies

Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL

Shakespeare High‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Shakespeare, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of William Shakespeare on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.ShakespeareWikipedia:WikiProject ShakespeareTemplate:WikiProject ShakespeareShakespeare articles
High	This article has been rated as High-importance on the project's importance scale.

Fictional characters

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Fictional characters, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of fictional characters on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Fictional charactersWikipedia:WikiProject Fictional charactersTemplate:WikiProject Fictional charactersfictional character articles

Fictional??[edit]

Balzac seems to think he was real:

Falstaff is, in England, a type of the ridiculous; his very name provokes laughter; he is the king of clowns. Now, instead of being enormously pot-bellied, absurdly amorous, vain, drunken, old, and corrupted, Falstaff was one of the most distinguished men of his time, a Knight of the Garter, holding a high command in the army. At the accession of Henry V. Sir John Falstaff was only thirty-four years old. This general, who distinguished himself at the battle of Agincourt, and there took prisoner the Duc d'Alencon, captured, in 1420, the town of Montereau, which was vigorously defended. Moreover, under Henry VI. he defeated ten thousand French troops with fifteen hundred weary and famished men.[1]

Balzac tended to get carried away with odd theories ( in his COUSIN PONS he puts in a long, silly section about how fortune-tellers can really see the future). In this case he was probably confusing Falstaff and Fastolfe, due to lack of familiarity with English 2601:C2:201:4612:38B2:2C67:4ED0:FBF2 (talk) 03:26, 12 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The Real Falstaff is a book by Michael Jones about the real John Falstaff

The book is a life and times of the man behind the Shakespearean character, the professional soldier Sir John Fastolf. Fastolf is the best-documented soldier of the late medieval period and the author draws upon a quite exceptional personal archive. As a result, Sir John emerges in a very different light from his Shakespearean counterpart.

so much for wikipedia...

Reply: Shakespeare's Falstaff isn't based on Fastolf; WS merely borrowed the man's name, swapped some letters and completely changed his character. So it's a bit odd to call Fastolf 'the real Falstaff'. Jones's book is, incidentally, a novel, not a biography. The Singing Badger 19:51, 13 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Technical Character[edit]

"Also appears in Titus Andronicus as a technical character." - What does "technical character" mean in this context? I find no mention of Falstaff in a quick search of the text of T.A. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.0.235.135 (talk • contribs)

You're right, it's nonsense. I've removed it. I can't be bothered to go through the history but my guess is maybe someone vandalised a reference to Fastolfe in Henry SIXTH part 1. AndyJones 14:11, 13 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Vandalism[edit]

"But the one play he has the main part in is Murder on the Highway, a play containing various charactors from various Shakaspeare plays." A grade school student getting back at Wikipedia? Removed. Eivanec 14:47, 19 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Could be. Certainly isn't appropriate. I've reverted back a little further than you did. AndyJones 15:47, 19 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Boars Head Tavern[edit]

No mention here of Falstaff's notorious drinking place: The Boars Head Tavern in Eastcheap. Colin4C 09:52, 3 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Shakespeare's second largest character after Hamlet?[edit]

It says in the article that Falstaff has the second most amount of lines after Hamlet, but I don't think this is true: with the lines he has in Henry V combined with those he has in 1HIV and 2HIV, surely Prince Hal has more? I don't have an edition where I can check this is the case, but I'm almost 100% sure... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.111.216.224 (talk) 02:30, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Characters In More Than One Play[edit]

It doesn't make sense to count appearances in more than one play towards size of part! You are not comparing like with like. It will also be difficult to compare Falstaff's lines with Hamlet's, as one speaks mainly in prose and the other mainly in verse. Counting prose lines will vary much more between editions. Re the article, surely there is no question that the Hostess in "Henry V" is Mistress Quickly? I don't see why there should be. Her husband calls her "the quondam (former) Quickly" in Act 2, Scene 1.

82.10.145.63 (talk) 16:23, 18 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Simon Russell Beale at the Globe?[edit]

I am not aware - and am sure I would be - that SRB has played Falstaff at Shakespeare's Globe. Only filmed the part for TV. The Globe Falstaffs I am aware of are Christopher Benjamin and Roger Allam. Could be checked with the theatre.

Rogersansom (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 07:30, 17 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Composite (of Models for Falstaff) section--Removed[edit]

This section violated Wikipedia:NOR, as it synthesized a conclusion based on many sources, but not a part of ANY of the sources. Tapered (talk) 08:00, 19 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Popular culture section[edit]

What's in the popular culture section is the most worthless trivia and ephemera. 82.26.127.248 (talk) 22:46, 3 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Regarding the "Print" section: is it possible that the Isaac Asimov character of Fastolfe, who appears several times in the Robot Trilogy (Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, The Robots of Dawn), be based on this Shakespearian character? 00-nero (talk) 08:33, 3 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Asimov may have borrowed the name ( the full name is Han Fastolfe) but not the personality. Asimov's character is a brilliant scientist and statesman. 2601:C2:201:4612:38B2:2C67:4ED0:FBF2 (talk) 03:17, 12 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Falstaff is pretty clearly the inspiration for the Marvel Comics character "Volstagg" (just look at the spelling), a supporting character in the Thor comics. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.202.33.17 (talk) 18:06, 10 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Appearances[edit]

The article starts by saying "Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who is mentioned in five plays by William Shakespeare and appears on stage in three of them."

I have Appearances: Henry IV pt 1, Henry IV pt 2 and The Merry Wives of Windsor

and one mention: Henry V (his death)

Is there another mention? I can't find one. I don't want to edit the text and then be wrong. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.102.28.115 (talk) 10:46, 5 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

I think that comes from someone who has confused one of the screen adaptations of Richard II with the play itself. So far as I know, there are no references to Falstaff in that play. Please do correct the number in this article's lead. --Xover (talk) 10:23, 6 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

He's probably counting "Fastolfe"'s mention in Henry VI as #5. But that's wrong, because Falstaff's death was reported in Henry V and "Fastolfe" is somebody else. 2601:C2:201:4612:38B2:2C67:4ED0:FBF2 (talk)