Henry IV - Falstaff and King Henry Throughout Henry IV: Part I, there are many similarities between the characters. Two that seem particularly similar are Falstaff and King Henry. Their common traits are demonstrated by Shakespeare in many subtle and not so subtle ways. While Falstaff seems to be able to accept himself for who he is, the King seems to be tied to his image as a great ruler, and will therefore never admit to being anything less than great. The characters of Falstaff and the King at first appear to be diametric opposites in terms of personality, yet they share many common traits. Falstaff is a thief; he admits to being a bag thief and, in fact, at one point he is chased by the sheriff. Even the king is a thief; instead of robbing travellers' purses, he stole an entire empire from Richard II, whom he had also killed. Even in their way of dealing with people, especially in uncomfortable circumstances, the two behave similarly. It is well known that Falstaff often manages to get out of unpleasant situations using only his wits. The King continually modifies his behavior to suit the occasion, such as when dealing with Hotspur and opposing vassals and when dealing with Hal at the royal court. Both Falstaff and the King live, to a large extent, by the sharpness of their minds: Falstaff as a criminal and the King as a politician. Another similar aspect of these two characters is their view of courage. Both the King and Falstaff subscribe to the theory that it is better to avoid danger and therefore avoid the possibility of harm than to take risks. Falstaff does this on several occasions, such as when he plays dead during battle to avoid injury. In this same battle, the king employed similar tactics, when he had many of his men disguised to resemble him and thus make him difficult to find. It is in this that Falstaff and the King are alike; it would seem that their only real differences lie in how they see themselves. A politician and a thief can be said to have many things in common.