Literary Criticism - General & Miscellaneous, Mythology - General & Miscellaneous, English Drama - 16th-17th Century - Elizabethan & Jacobean Eras - Shakespeare - Literary Criticism, Psychology & Literature
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Overview
The figure of Falstaff is well-known in the West as the extraordinary Shakespearean schemer whose presence dominated the "Henry" plays, but this study reveals the same character as a recurring theme in the literatures of many cultures and epochs. Histories and folklores as disparate as those of India, Greece, Russia and Egypt all offer the same archetype of the shrewd, dishonourable manipulator.Brought together, these myths from divergent traditions shed light on each other, on human nature, and on Shakespeare's illustrious creation. The book argues that Falstaff is the embodiment of a complex interweaving of dark psychological forces, rather than as no more than a comic foil for the serious transactions of royalty.
Book Details
Published
May 31, 1989
Publisher
Element Books
Pages
233
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9781852300890