Falstaff

Sir John, a good natured but rascally old knight in Shakespeare's Henry IV, and in Merry Wives of Windsor. He is the chief of Prince Hal's riotous companions. When the play was first presented the character was called Sir John Oldcastle, and the interest centered in this figure. Sir John Oldcastle, Lord Cobham, is a historical character. He was an English nobleman of the fourteenth century,--an author, a soldier, a Lollard leader. He was a personal friend and a companion of Henry IV, and suffered martyrdom as a heretic and traitor under Henry V. He was known as the "good Lord Cobham." Shakespeare's character, therefore, while extremely popular, was looked upon as a caricature, and certain descendants of the original Sir John Oldcastle raised objections. When the first part of the play of Henry IV was published, the knight received the name of Falstaff, and the epilogue stated that "Oldcastle died a martyr, and this is not the man." The name, and perhaps the character, now brought dimly to mind Sir John Fastolf, a warrior of the fifteenth century, and Shakespeare was criticised "for making overbold with a great warrior's memory." Shakespeare's Falstaff is a swindler, a drunkard, a liar, and very nearly a coward. His faults are redeemed in some measure by his wit and good temper. Queen Elizabeth, it is said, was greatly pleased with the character, and requested Shakespeare to introduce him into another play. His appearance in Merry Wives of Windsor was the result.