Sir John Oldcastle O, O!," when his fingertips are singed with candles — which of course works for "Oldcastle" but not "Falstaff." There is also the "castle" reference in IV,v,6 of the same play. The name Falstaff was derived from Sir John Fastolf, who was also a historical person—allegedly a greedy and grasping individual, who had a (probably undeserved) reputation for cowardice at the Battle of Patay in 1429. Fastolf, however, died without descendants, making him safe for a playwright's use. He had already appeared as a cowardly knight in Henry VI, part 1. The name change and the Epilogue disclaimer were required,
Acting Shakespeare one-man show, 'A Knight Out' (using the play on word as a result of his being knighted in 1991) but this time focusing, as well as stage roles, his now ever increasing film roles. As with Acting Shakespeare he toured around England, Europe and America to great acclaim. A predecessor of this show's format was Sir John Gielgud's Ages of Man (play) which consisted of Gielgud in front of an audience with a mixture of both speeches and anecdotes. Acting Shakespeare Acting Shakespeare is a one-man show of Shakespearean monologues interspersed with theatrical anecdotes devised and performed by Ian McKellen.