# Sir John Falstaff — Henry IV, Part II character guide

> Sir John Falstaff in Henry IV, Part II by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Falstaff, Jack Falstaff, Sir John, John Falstaff, sweet Jack

**First appearance:** 0004-act-i-scene-ii

## Snapshot

A mountainous knight whose belly and wit are equally enormous, he turns cowardice into comedy and captures prisoners only when they surrender to his reputation.

## Who they are

Falstaff is Prince Hal's disreputable companion, a knight who treats honor as a word and taverns as a kingdom. His genius for self-preservation collides with the demands of war and his growing need for the prince's favor, which he pursues through outrageous lies and charm. In the play's middle movement, his comic capture of Colevile and his running battle with the Lord Chief Justice expose the gap between the world he inhabits and the one Hal must eventually rule.

## In the story

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/chapters/act-i-scene-ii)

Falstaff engages in verbal sparring with the Lord Chief Justice, defending his reputation and mocking age and authority.

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-i)

Arrested for debt, negotiates with Hostess, learns of military movements.

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-ii)

Referenced through his letter and the Page's report; he is at the Boar's Head Tavern with Mistress Quickly and Doll Tearsheet.

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-iv)

Revels with Doll, quarrels with Pistol, and is spied upon by Prince Hal and Poins.

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-ii)

Arrives to recruit soldiers, selects unfit men, and later mocks Shallow's pretensions while planning to exploit him.

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iii)

Captures Colevile, boasts to Prince John, and delivers a soliloquy on the virtues of sherris sack.

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/chapters/act-v-scene-i)

Visits Justice Shallow and plans to use him for amusement.

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/chapters/act-v-scene-iii)

Revels with Shallow and Silence, then receives news of the king's death and exults in his anticipated rise to power.

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/chapters/act-v-scene-iv)

Mentioned by the Hostess as the one who could make a bloody day for the beadles.

### [Scene V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/chapters/act-v-scene-v)

Expects royal favor at the coronation but is publicly rejected and banished by King Henry V, then arrested and taken to the Fleet.

### [Epilogue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/chapters/act-v-scene-v)

Mentioned as a character who will appear in the promised continuation of the story.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/characters/falstaff
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_iv_part_ii_se/characters