Falstaff Rising Slowly (Shakespeare, First Part of King Henry IV, Act 5, Scene 4) 1794

James Neagle created this print, "Falstaff Rising Slowly," sometime around the late 18th to early 19th century. The composition immediately draws your eye to the corpulent figure of Falstaff. He is set against a rugged landscape of dark rocks and distant conflict, created with sharp lines and contrasting shades. Neagle uses line and form to explore themes of deception and survival. Falstaff's roundness and the way he strains against the landscape imply a character out of place and out of breath. The sharp contrast between light and shadow around Falstaff makes the viewer question what is real and what is performative. The image highlights the performative aspects of identity and how individuals manipulate appearances to navigate social structures. The contrast is a key structural element of the print. It challenges the viewer to consider that things may not be as they first appear. This contrast creates an open-ended field of interpretation.