Falstaff has been an audience favorite ever since the release of Henry IV Part I. This hyperbolical character lightens up the solemn undertone of this English History play with his humorous ways. At the final part of the play, his comical nature helps him gain the sympathy of all but Prince Harry, whom he shares a seemingly genuine friendship with. Shakespeare reveals the lack of sincerity in Hal and Falstaff’s friendship through two major literary devices: metaphor and meter, along with other minor literary elements. Throughout the first part of Henry IV, the sun is used as a recurring metaphor for Hal. In his famous soliloquy after conspiring with Falstaff and the other highwaymen about the Gadshill robbery, the Prince states: Yet herein will I imitate the sun, Who doth permit the base contagious clouds To smother up his beauty from the world, That, when he please again to be himself, Being wanted, he may be more wondered at By breaking through the foul and ugly mist Of vapors that did seem to
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This metrical pattern gives dialogues rhythm and organization; it is also used as an indication of a character’s level of education or social status. Usually, a character is seen speaking in either verse or prose in a play. Nonetheless, Prince Harry deviates from the norm and speaks in both. He speaks to the nobility in verse. On the contrary, he utilizes prose in his dialogues with Falstaff and other peasants to make himself more understandable. For instance, during his portrayal of the King, he says:
Why dost thou converse with that trunk of humors, that bolting-hutch of beastliness, that swollen parcel of dropsies, that huge bombard of sack, that stuffed cloakbag of guts, that roasted Manningtree ox with the pudding in his belly, that reverend Vice, that gray iniquity, that father ruffian, that vanity in years? (2.4.
This metrical pattern gives dialogues rhythm and organization; it is also used as an indication of a character’s level of education or social status. Usually, a character is seen speaking in either verse or prose in a play. Nonetheless, Prince Harry deviates from the norm and speaks in both. He speaks to the nobility in verse. On the contrary, he utilizes prose in his dialogues with Falstaff and other peasants to make himself more understandable. For instance, during his portrayal of the King, he says:
Why dost thou converse with that trunk of humors, that bolting-hutch of beastliness, that swollen parcel of dropsies, that huge bombard of sack, that stuffed cloakbag of guts, that roasted Manningtree ox with the pudding in his belly, that reverend Vice, that gray iniquity, that father ruffian, that vanity in years? (2.4.