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Dramatic Irony
Act 3, Scene 2
Explanation and Analysis—Falstaff's Youth:
In Act 3, Falstaff meets with Justice Shallow and Justice Silence, two provincial judges whom he has known since they were young men. Falstaff has come to them on royal business, as they have been assigned to help him prepare a small army in service of the King, though the trio are quickly distracted by nostalgic flashbacks to their youth:
SHALLOW
O, Sir John, do you remember since we lay
all night in the windmill in Saint George’s Field?FALSTAFF
No more of that, good Master Shallow, no
more of that.SHALLOW
Ha, ’twas a merry night. And is Jane Nightwork
alive?FALSTAFF
She lives, Master Shallow.SHALLOW
She never could away with me.FALSTAFF
Never, never. She would always say she could
not abide Master Shallow.
When Shallow first attempts to discuss the past, Falstaff attempts to change the topic to focus on their task, stating “no more of that.” However, Shallow carries on describing their past exploits in a flashback, noting that they slept under a windmill and had a “merry night.” Falstaff, predictably, gets drawn into the conversation when Shallow asks about some women they once knew. Soon, the three find themselves reminiscing about their past flirtations with women. This scene, with its many flashbacks, emphasizes the preoccupation of these three elderly men with the past.
Related Themes:
