Source: "Falstaff in 1 Henry IV: What's in a Name?" in Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 27, No.2, Spring, 1976, pp. 199-200.
[Willson argues that when Shakespeare changed the character of Falstaff's name from Oldcastle to Falstaff (the Elizabethan ancestor of Oldcastle was offended by the use of his family name in this context) he rendered the spelling as he did for specific reasons. Willson goes on to show how Falstaff's name is symbolic of the character's cowardice and gluttony.]
It has been a custom of editors and critics of 1 Henry IV to account for Shakespeare's change of Oldcastle's name to Falstaff by referring to the objection of one of that family's members to the shoddy treatment of his ancestor on the stage. These editors and critics argue that Shakespeare looked back in history to unearth.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 755 words. This
study guide contains 68,895 words (approx. 230 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our King Henry IV, Part I Access Pass.