McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XCI · Part 9: Comedy, Milton, Whittier and Shakespeare's taverns
97. Prince Henry and Falstaff (William Shakespeare)
Goal: Your student can read Falstaff's boasting in character and explain how the prince catches him in his lies.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook and pen
- A dictionary
What's in the book
A comic scene from Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1, in a tavern: Falstaff brags about fighting off robbers, and the number of men grows each time he tells it. Notes explain lime and strappado.
The lesson, step by step
Words and meanings
Read the notes printed at the end of the lesson together before reading. The book explains, among others:
lime: a fruit related to the lemon but smaller and more sour (Falstaff complains of lime in his drink)
strappado: an instrument of torture by which the victim's limbs were wrenched out of joint
Ask your student to find two other hard words in the lesson, guess their meaning from the sentence, then check a dictionary.
About the author
Shakespeare was introduced earlier in the book. Set the scene: Prince Henry and Poins secretly robbed Falstaff after he robbed some travelers, so they know the truth.
Read aloud
Take parts. Falstaff is loud and grand; the prince is amused. Read it twice if your student enjoys it.
Listen for these lines:
Welcome, Jack. Where hast thou been?
A plague of all cowards, I say, and a vengeance too!
Talk about it
SayCount it: how many men does Falstaff say attacked him at first, and how many by the end?
SayHow does the prince prove Falstaff is lying?
SayHow does Falstaff wriggle out of it? Is it clever?
SayWhy do audiences love Falstaff even though he lies?
Narration
Your student tells the scene as a funny story, with the growing numbers.
Perform it
Read the scene again, standing, with gestures. Falstaff should puff himself up.
Tip
Keep a tally of Falstaff's robbers on paper as you read. It makes the joke visible.