John Falstaff

John Falstaff

So you're writing your first novel. Your story should be character driven, in which case you will find that the situations which start to form in your mind already come from what those characters are 'about.' All novels, whether they be thrillers, romances, Science Fiction, or whatever, should reflect life in that they deal with what happens when person A, with a certain agenda, meets with person B, with his particular motivations.

Some characters will mix well, but what really drives the story forward is conflict.

This doesn't mean that your major protagonists always have to be a 'goodie' and a 'baddie.' Conflict can arise between characters who are really well matched- Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy being the classic examples of this. But as you are probably no Jane Austen (and who is?) you may wish to stick with clearly defining who wears the black hat and who the white from the outset.

But it is still important, having said that, to remember two things: firstly, unless you're writing pantomime, characters never believe that they themselves are wrong or evil, because people in real life don't think that way. Apparently Al Capone saw himself as a great public benefactor, and I'm sure that Robert Mugabe will think that he has been a great president.

Next, a character MUST have shades- even a bad guy has endearing features, and a good guy has flaws and even vices.I once read a suggestion in a 'how to write' book that to you could keep your characters differentiated by basing each one on the characteristics of a different star sign.

Now I wouldn't want to knock someone who has taken the trouble to write a book which helps people to create, but personally I would find basing my characters on the supposed characteristics of their star signs about as useful as basing them upon those of the seven dwarves.

The problem with using this sort of formula is that it could lead to you not creating characters, but types. Yes, you need consistency, and yes, the old cliche is true that there is a point where the characters take on a 'life of their own.' BUT... realistic characters, in literature as in life, have contradictions.

I have just been reading an online debate where this very subject is being discussed with reference to film characters. Hannibal Lecter tops the list- a monster, but a cultured gentleman. Similarly, there is the much earlier example of Alex in 'A Clockwork Orange.' He takes part in gang warfare, rapes minors, terrorises an elderly intellectual, but doesn't half love a bit of Beethoven! And these contradictions not only give depth to the character- they are the hook upon which the whole premise of the book hangs.

So if star signs and the Seven Dwarves don't work for you, where do you get your characters from? You could always do what successful writers have done down the ages, which is to use a combination of experience and imagination.

It is well known that Shakespeare based his Falstaff on a man called Sir John Oldcastle, that Thomas Hardy drew heavily upon his background, D.H. Lawrence based the characters of 'Sons and Lovers' and 'Women in Love' upon himself, his family and his social set and (this one's for the kids,) Andy Cope's 'Spy Dog,' Tara, is a family pet.

Obviously, if you are developing an unsympathetic character based upon someone you know, no connection should be left which can be used in court! Think what you want to say about the character. If your model is an obese woman, make your character a thin man. You can do that without losing essential elements of the character, and it will open up other avenues which will add complexity.

My quick recipe for character building is this: add character traits of a few people you know. Stir in a large piece of imagination.

Then stand back and listen to what your creation has to say.

Hear the first chapters of 'Tasting the Wind' at: [http://www.youtube.com/ralphmuppet]

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Falstaff - $29.99 Though the operatic production in this release constitutes a version of Giuseppe Verdi's three-act commedia lirica Falstaff (1893), it isn't a stage production per se; rather, it was filmed on studio sets for German television in 1963. It stars Otto Edelmann as Shakespeare's famous corpulent knight, Sir John Falstaff, Hans G?nter Grimm as Ford, Richard van Vrooman as Fenton and Erich Klaus as Dr. Cajus. The Wiener Symphoniker and Wiener Staatsoper lend added symphonic accompaniment, under the baton of Nello Santi; Annemarie K?hler designed the costumes; Max Bignens created the sets; and Hellmuth Matiasek directs for the stage. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Falstaff $23.99 Falstaff

Falstaff (Disambiguation) $73.28 High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles Falstaff is a Shakespearean character in the Henry IV plays and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Falstaff or Fallstaff may also refer to: Music, Falstaff (opera), an opera by Giuseppe Verdi, Falstaff (Salieri) an opera by Antonio Salieri, Falstaff (Adam), an opera by Adolphe Adam, Falstaff (Elgar), a symphonic study by Edward Elgar. Author: Miller, Frederic P./ Vandome, Agnes F./ McBrewster, John Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 76 Publication Date: 2010/12/15 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.02 x 0.18 inches

Sir John Falstaff, King Henry IV $159.99 Printz Sir John Falstaff, King Henry IV - Premium Giclee Print

Falstaff (DVD) $37.02 The Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern in Germany mounted this 2011 production of Giuseppe Verdi`s three-act opera FALSTAFF, with a cast that includes Bernd Weikl in the title role, John Pickering as Dr. Cajus, Steffen Schantz as Fenton and Arlette Mei ner as Nannetta.

Falstaff (Paperback) $27.51 Winner of the Hawthornden Prize and the Guardian Fiction PrizeThe most beloved comic figure in English literature decides that history hasn`t done him justice?it`s time for him to tell the whole unbuttoned story, his way. Irascible and still lecherous at eighty-one, Falstaff spins out these outrageously bawdy memoirs as an antidote to legend, and in the process manages to recreate his own. This splendidly written novel is a feast, opening wide the look and feel of another age and bringing Shakespeare`s Falstaff to life in a totally new way. Like Jack Falstaff himself, it`s sprawling, vivid, oversized?big as life. We return in an instant to an England that was ribald, violent, superstitious, coursing with high spirits and a fresh sense of national purpose. We see what history and the Bard of Avon overlooked or avoided: what really happened that celebrated night at the windmill when Falstaff and Justice Shallow heard the chimes at midnight; who really killed Hotspur; how many men fell at the Battle of Agincourt; what actually transpired at the coronation of Henry V ("Harry the Prig"); and just what it was that made the wives of Windsor so very merry.Falstaff "tells all" about Prince Hal, John of Gaunt ("that maniac"), Pistol, Bardolph, Doll Tearsheet, and Jane Nightwork. At the same time, his racy narrative offers us a tapestry of the Middle Ages: the Black Death and May Day; an expedition to Ireland and a pilgrimage to the Holy Land; nights at the Boar`s Head; the splendor of London Bridge; and hundreds of other sights and sounds and people zestfully recalled between scabrous opinions and irreverent meditations?in sum, the very flavor of a great age. The voice is unmistakably Falstaff`s and his great drama swaggers, laughs, and shouts across every page.

Henry IV, Sir John Falstaff and His Extraordinary Powers of Persuasion $49.99 George Cruikshank Henry IV, Sir John Falstaff and His Extraordinary Powers of Persuasion - Giclee Print

Henry VI, Falstaff Reviews His Ragged Regiment $49.99 Sir John Gilbert Henry VI, Falstaff Reviews His Ragged Regiment - Giclee Print

Falstaff (Blu-ray Disc) $94.86 The Glyndebourne Festival Opera mounted this production of Giuseppe Verdi`s 1893 Falstaff under the direction of Richard Jones in 2009. Regarded as Verdi`s comical magnum opus, the work was actually adapted from two Shakespeare plays, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV, and brings back to the stage one of The Bard`s most beloved characters: the corpulent and perpetually cowardly knight Sir John Falstaff. This version stars Christopher Purves as Falstaff, Tassis Christoyannis as Ford, Dina Kuznetsova as Alice Ford and Marie-Nicole Lemieux as Mistress Quickly. The London Philharmonic Orchestra and The Glyndebourne Chorus lend musical accompaniment with Vladimir Jurowski conducting and Thomas Blunt serving as chorus master; Ultz designed the costumes and sets.

Falstaff: A Play in Four Acts $27.61 Frank J. Morlock has produced a play based on that great comic character, Falstaff, with scenes taken from William Shakespeares Henry IV cycle and The Merry Wives of Windsor, William Kendricks Falstaffs Wedding, and John Denniss The Comical Gallant, plus original material by Morlock himself. A dramatic and comedic triumph Author: Morlock, Frank J./ Shakespeare, William/ Dennis, John Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 176 Publication Date: 2009/03/15 Language: English Dimensions: 5.98 x 9.01 x 0.40 inches

Sir John Falstaff $39 No Synopsis Available

Henry V, Act II Scene III: The Last Scene in the Life of Sir John Falstaff $49.99 George Cruikshank Henry V, Act II Scene III: The Last Scene in the Life of Sir John Falstaff - Giclee Print

Henry IV, Act I Scene Iv: Sir John Falstaff Enacting the Part of the King $49.99 George Cruikshank Henry IV, Act I Scene Iv: Sir John Falstaff Enacting the Part of the King - Giclee Print

The Merry Wives of Windsor, Sir John Falstaff in the Buck- Basket Act III Scene III $49.99 George Cruikshank The Merry Wives of Windsor, Sir John Falstaff in the Buck- Basket Act III Scene III - Giclee Print

Verdi: Falstaff $9.49 Verdi: Falstaff

Verdi Falstaff $8.99 Verdi Falstaff

Falstaff (Clpt) $9.99 Falstaff (Clpt)

Henry IV, Act II Scene Iv: Sir John Falstaff Driving Pistol from His Presence $49.99 George Cruikshank Henry IV, Act II Scene Iv: Sir John Falstaff Driving Pistol from His Presence - Giclee Print

Henry IV, Act V Scene III: Pistol Informing Sir John Falstaff of the Death of King Henry Iv $49.99 George Cruikshank Henry IV, Act V Scene III: Pistol Informing Sir John Falstaff of the Death of King Henry Iv - Giclee Print

Falstaff (Royal Opera House) - Subtitle $24.99 Guiseppe Verdi's lavish Shakespearian epic opens London's newly-restored Royal Opera House in this performance originally broadcast live on the BBC in December of 1999. Directed by Graham Vick and featuring Bryn Terfel in the role of Sir John Falstaff and Barbara Frittoli as Alice Ford, this release features The Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House conducted by Bernard Haitink . ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Falstaff in the Forest $39.99 Falstaff in the Forest - Giclee Print

The Life and Death of Sir John Falstaff $29.86 Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hardtofind books with something of interest for everyone Author: Galizzi, G. B./ Radford, George Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 208 Publication Date: 2010/09/10 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.02 x 0.44 inches

Verdi, Falstaff $299.99 Verdi, Falstaff - Stretched Canvas Print