Falstaff Says What? Part I

One of the most difficult types of characters to understand for newcomers to Shakespeare are the comic figures and clowns (at least, that’s how it was for me). Being vulgar in speech and full of archaic¹ colloquialisms², I often find myself glancing at footnotes more than reading actual dialog when these characters are on stage. To help readers with this dilemma, I’ve decided to post, periodically, BYKI lists to help prepare your brain for this ancient vernacular³.

Pay special attention to scene I.2, where Falstaff drops the line, “Do not thou, when thou art king, hang a thief.” (I.2.60-61) Henry V fans will be able to spot the situational irony (remember English class?) revealed in this future scene.

¹archaic: old ²colloquialism: term used in informal conversation ³vernacular: plain talk of common people