ridicules the Prince and all men of the world as cowards but the fat knight views himself as one of the “three good men unhanged in England” (II, iv: 130-31). (4) Clever ability for deception and role- playing – Both the section where Falstaff describes himself single-handedly fending off an army of thieves (II, iv: 113-284) and especially the section where Falstaff impersonates both the Prince and the King (II, iv: 374-481) give evidence of Falstaff’s ability in this regard. (5) Linguistic and/or intellectual superiority – Practically every time Falstaff speaks affords another instance of the character’s linguistic superiority over others (an especially fine poetic example occurs in I, ii: 23-30). And (6) An eventual downfall or comeuppance by the play’s end – Prince Hal forces Falstaff to take charge of an infantry, and Falstaff’s own greed leads him to procure a rag-tag battalion (IV, ii: 11-49) that dies quickly and miserably in the face of battle (V, iii: 30- 38), leaving Falstaff in fear of his life.
Although Northrop Frye does not link the word jester directly to the eiron, he has no hesitation in labeling Falstaff as a Jester. Frye notes that Falstaff is a combination of many types: the miles gloriosus, the parasite, the comic butt, and vice. But “above all, he is a jester” (Frye, On Shakespeare 74). Frye especially emphasizes Falstaff’s jester qualities during the scene where the comic knight describes his exploits concerning the robbery at Gadshill.
Like Mosca, Falstaff is an elegant rascal who
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