Henry IV, Part 1 of Patay, and whom Shakespeare had previously represented in "Henry VI, Part 1". Fastolf had died without descendants, making him safe for a playwright's use. Shortly afterward, a team of playwrights wrote a two-part play entitled "Sir John Oldcastle", which presents a heroic dramatisation of Oldcastle's life and was published in 1600. In 1986, the Oxford Shakespeare edition of Shakespeare's works rendered the character's name as Oldcastle, rather than Falstaff, in "Henry IV, Part 1" (although not, confusingly, in "Part 2"), as a consequence of the editors' aim to present the plays as they would have appeared during their original
The Shakespeare Code makes reference to the many debates about Shakespeare's sexuality. Shakespeare flirts with Martha multiple times during the episode, and ultimately composes Sonnet 18 for her, calling her his "Dark Lady". This is a reference to the enigmatic female character in Shakespeare's Sonnets, although Sonnet 18 is in fact one of those addressed to a male character, the Fair Youth. Shakespeare subsequently flirts with the Doctor as well, at which the Doctor observes, "Fifty-seven academics just punched the air," a reference to the debates on this subject. There is a running joke throughout the episode in which the Doctor creates an