Communications in Humanities Research

- The Open Access Proceedings Series for Conferences


Communications in Humanities Research

Vol. 12, 20 November 2023


Open Access | Article

Perceiving Falstaff: An Exploration of the Clown Image

Wenqing Zhang * 1
1 Xi’an Jiaotong-liverpool University

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Communications in Humanities Research, Vol. 12, 140-145
Published 20 November 2023. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by EWA Publishing
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Citation Wenqing Zhang. Perceiving Falstaff: An Exploration of the Clown Image. CHR (2023) Vol. 12: 140-145. DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/12/20230069.

Abstract

Among the many roles in Western drama that originated in ancient Greece, fools occupy a significant place, and its image has been gradually enriched with the development of drama. Beyond simply making the audience laugh, the words and deeds of clowns seem to have a deeper meaning, which can arouse people’s resonance and reflection. Starting from the origin of drama and the development analysis of the image of clowns, this article aims to analyze the complex connotation behind Falstaff, the classic fool chosen from Shakespeare’s play Henry IV, in detail from multiple perspectives. The vivid image of Falstaff in Shakespeare’s work is a transcendence of the early clowns. At the same time, Falstaff also conveys the humanist ideals of the author.

Keywords

Shakespeare’s fool, Falstaff, theater, Henry IV, renaissance

References

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Data Availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the International Conference on Global Politics and Socio-Humanities (ICGPSH 2023)
ISBN (Print)
978-1-83558-113-1
ISBN (Online)
978-1-83558-114-8
Published Date
20 November 2023
Series
Communications in Humanities Research
ISSN (Print)
2753-7064
ISSN (Online)
2753-7072
DOI
10.54254/2753-7064/12/20230069
Copyright
20 November 2023
Open Access
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Copyright © 2023 EWA Publishing. Unless Otherwise Stated