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Shakespeare & Beyond

Emma Smith on Falstaff: An excerpt from 'This Is Shakespeare'

This is Shakespeare book cover
This is Shakespeare book cover

This is Shakespeare book coverShakespeare scholar Emma Smith takes 20 chapters to discuss 20 different Shakespeare plays in her new book This Is Shakespeare, offering insights on key characters, plot twists, and performance challenges. The excerpt below, which focuses on the character of Falstaff and his physical description, comes from the chapter on 1 Henry IV, the play where Falstaff makes his first appearance.

Comments

Descriptions were as is Falstaff’s
Replies very entertaining- for someone so grossly unattractive, he is amazingly comfortable in his on skin (or fat). Perhaps there is something to be noted in our time of physical self-consciousness.

Thomas Mikulewich — June 12, 2019