Mojo, The Bard, & Me

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

 

Why, he hackt at it with his dagger; and said he would swear truth out of England, but he would make you believe it was done in fight; and persuaded us to do the like.

 

Peto

King Henry the Fourth Part I    Act II Scene iv, Line 312

Falstaff has just told Prince Hal the story of how he, Falstaff, and his friends fought off eleven attackers. Hal knows the story is a complete fabrication, so he asks Peto, one of Falstaff’s fellows, how Falstaff’s sword got so hacked up. And that’s what Peto’s talking about above. So basically, Falstaff made up a story and then nicked up his sword to make it look like he really had been in a fight. And he had his buddies do the same. That is classic Falstaff.

A little bit about Sir John Falstaff. This is one of Shakespeare’s most well known, and well loved characters. Oddly, he is little known to the world outside of Shakespereans (for lack of a better word). Whilst the character of Hamlet has the most lines of anyone in one play, Falstaff has the most lines in all of Shakespeare’s works because he appears in three plays.

Falstaff is a common man. He is a glutton, a heavy drinker, a jokester, and a con man. He steals almost any scene he appears in, and is a big crowd favorite. Maybe you can think of a Falstaff in your life. Most of us have one.

 

 

We've got this guy; he’s jokester, a scene stealer, and definitely a con man.

That’s right 'Falstaff', I knew all along that wasn’t a ‘cigarillo.’ I know a treat when I see one. Not looking for a light today, are we?