SOURCE: Berry, Edward. “The ‘Rascal’ Falstaff in Windsor.” In Shakespeare and the Hunt: A Cultural and Social Study, pp. 133-58. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

In the essay below, Berry maintains that the Falstaff of the Henry IV plays is linked to the Falstaff of Merry Wives of Windsor through the issues of poaching and social rebellion. Berry explores Falstaff's role within The Merry Wives of Windsor, demonstrating the ways in which Falstaff, as a poacher and a fallen knight, poses a threat to society and emphasizes the conflict between the court and the Windsor bourgeois society.

In act 5 scene 4 of 1 Henry IV Prince Hal kills Hotspur in single combat on the field at Shrewsbury. While doing what he calls “fair rites of tenderness” (98) to honor Hotspur's corpse, Hal spies Falstaff on the ground, dead. He responds with a speech filled with wordplay. He calls Falstaff an “old” acquaintance...