Tuesday, June 9, 2009
On Falstaff
I read Falstaff as a rollicking combination of Kramer, Jerry, and George from Seinfeld. Like Kramer, he is the eccentric clown. Like Jerry, he's a wit with cool distance. And like George, he's selfish, dishonest, devious, pathetic (a man of temptation--but what tempts you?). Depending on the setting, the context, and the characters he shares a scene with, the different sides of his self emerge.
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Great! Falstaff is magnificent. You could also say that he's the progenitor of Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Susie and the jolly crew of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (half-siblings of the Seinfeldian group?)
ReplyDeleteI think so--certainly the darkness underlying the clowning is there.
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