Falstaff as a Symbol of an Old England

Falstaff, a character in Shakespeare's plays, represented an old England that was disappearing. He embodied a carefree, slightly irresponsible, and humorous persona that stood in contrast to the more political and scientific thinking of the time. As he lay dying, he symbolically said goodbye to England, with his babbling representing a farewell to a countryside and a way of life now gone. Shakespeare, despite his reverence from intellectuals, celebrated the simpler joys of cakes, ale, and the green fields of England, but the dark forces of politics and the new learning cast doubt on these ideals.