The Shakespeare Book

138

letting go. If Hotspur is true honor,
then Falstaff, as his name suggests,
is its opposite. He sees honor as an
empty word, a symbol that serves
no material good. In this respect,
Falstaff is a parody of Henry. Wit
and low cunning are his tools, as
political craft is the king’s. And
both of them are thieves.

Three worlds
Shakespeare constructed his
own narrative using details
from Holinshed’s account of
Henry’s “unquiet reign” but much
of the plot is his own invention.
The result is a tightly structured,
three-part story focusing on the
relationships between a troubled
monarch, his ambitious warlords,
and his wayward heir. This gives
us three clearly defined worlds in
the court, the rebel camp, and the
Boar’s Head Tavern. The first two
present events in historical time
while the third, a wholly invented
comic alternative to recorded
history, acts as a foil. It’s both a
rebel space, and a topsy-turvy
court, and offers a subversive
commentary on the two. Falstaff’s
principles are the same as Henry’s
but applied to the realm of private

life, as we see in the second scene

(1.2). Some directors have made

this clear in the scene transition, as

the court figures leave by passing

through the entering tavern folk,

and Falstaff sits on what was

Henry’s throne. Where the court

is factional and serious, in the

tavern laws are joyously broken

and honor mocked. And while

the infestations of Eastcheap

parody the uneasiness of Henry’s

court, in Falstaff they indicate a

greed for pleasure more than power.

Hal’s destiny

Hal may prefer to spend his

time in Eastcheap, but he’s not

entirely unlike his royal father.

His appearance as the wayward

prince is part of a long-term plan,

as he tells us privately at the scene’s

close. He’s wasting time with the

common people in order to reform

himself when the moment’s right.

He’ll shine the brighter because of

what he seemed to be. Critics are

divided as to how we might respond

to this, and much depends on

individual performance. Should

princes know their subjects’ lives

in order to govern better? If so, then

Hal’s calculation is wise. It shows

him following a path between

Hotspur’s unquestioning pursuit

of honor and Falstaff’s selfish

dismissal of it. The opposite view

is that Hal is as crafty as his father

and knows precisely how to make

a show. In a world where chivalry

is dying and honor a “mere

scutcheon” (5.1.14 0), Ha l deploys

the tactics of a politician.

HENRY IV PART 1

But sirrah, there’s no

room for faith, truth,

nor honesty in this bosom

of thine; it is all filled up

with guts and midriff.

Prince Hal

Act 3, Scene 3

In a rowdy Boar’s Head Tavern,

Falstaff (Roger Allam) plays the lute

as Hal (Jamie Parker) dances in this

2010 production at the Globe Theatre.