I may chance have some odd quirks and remnants of wit broken on me.
First, some news: I am now a two-time grandpa! My daughter delivered our second granddaughter earlier this week. Her name is Grace Imogen, and she joins her big sister Madelyn Jane. Imogen is the name of the heroine of Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, so I clearly raised my daughter right. Mom, dad, big sis and baby are all doing fine, and so is Grandma. Proud Grandpa has broken out the wine to toast both little girls.
In honor of Grace Imogen, and more specifically in recognition of my celebratory consumption of “sack” (look it up), this week I am writing about Sir John Falstaff. Falstaff is one of Shakespeare’s most popular characters. He is famously fat. He drinks too much, jokes constantly, and evades his responsibilities, but despite all this, his charm leaps off the stage and page. He is the model for the witty, fat, drunk rouges that have made us laugh through four centuries of popular culture. It’s stunning that Shakespeare, who produced such great tragic characters as Macbeth and Hamlet, could also create a character as (literally) large and witty as Falstaff.
Through their carousing and banter in Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, Falstaff inadvertently tutors Prince Hal, who would become King Henry V, in the ways of the common people of England. But Falstaff is more than just a teacher to the crown prince. He personifies wit, declaring, “I am not only witty in myself, but the cause that wit is in other men.” Through his wit, he embodies a vital love of life and the world, at one point cautioning the prince, “Banish not [Falstaff] thy Harry’s company. Banish plump Jack and banish all the world.”
As king, Hal/Henry V does just what Falstaff feared: he banishes him. Falstaff is hilariously witty, but he’s also untrustworthy and selfish. As painful as it is, the new king had no choice but to separate from Falstaff at the start of his reign. Nevertheless, Prince Hal’s time with Falstaff taught him lessons that helped lead to the successful reign of the mature Henry V. Falstaff’s wit was a key ingredient in Henry V’s triumphant leadership.
Indeed, hidden behind the laughter he brings, Falstaff is a significant Shakespearean character for leaders today. He shows the importance of wit and humor to the success of all great leaders.
That includes Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln found great release from the tensions of the Civil War in Shakespeare, and one of his favorite characters was Falstaff. In addition to the distraction he provided the President, the character of Falstaff helped Lincoln understand how to use humor and wit in leadership. That is evident in the way that Lincoln used his inexhaustible humor to make serious points to his team and the American people. For example:
· Accused by Stephen Douglas of being a typical two-faced politician, Lincoln said, “I leave it to my audience. If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?”
· Lincoln supposedly compared General George McClellan’s grasping ambition to a rambunctious horse that got its hind hoof stuck in a stirrup, causing its rider to tell the horse, “If you are going to get on, I will get off.”
· Told that his best general, U.S. Grant, drank too much, Lincoln quipped that he would like to find out what brand of whiskey Grant was drinking so he could send it to every one of his other generals.
We live an easily offended age, and the use of wit and humor can backfire on a leader; humor and wit should be deployed only with careful thought. However, a fearful leader who neglects the power of wit is neglecting one of the great assets available to a successful leader.
As I discuss in A Memorable Honor, Lincoln understood the lessons of Falstaff and Shakespeare: wit is a powerful leadership tool to help build and motivate teams and effectively communicate the hard truths.
A Memorable Honor: Shakespeare, Lincoln, and the Art of Leadership provides a detailed discussion of the role of Shakespearean wit in leadership. The book is now an Amazon bestseller and hot new release. You can preorder today on Amazon.com and the Barnes and Noble website.
Until next time.
Frank
P. S. If you haven’t done so, please add your name to the “Who Art Thou” link below to receive updates as we get closer to the September 15 publication of A Memorable Honor: Shakespeare, Lincoln and the Art of Leadership.
