Hal and Falstaff find themselves together in a tavern and decide to partake in a role playing game that allows Hal to ready himself for his meeting with his father, the king the following day. Falstaff takes the role of prince while Hal plays the part of the king, urging his son to end his association with Falstaff, who defends himself profusely in the process. During their exchange, Falstaff's appearance as an old, lazy, and hopeless individual is accentuated, which forces Falstaff to defend himself and reveal his true intention of being a valiant and integral companion to Hal. .
Hal with his superior intellect and sharp wit heavily criticizes Falstaff while playing the role of king Henry. Hal uses several metaphors and invective to criticize Falstaff within the first stanza. Falstaff is portrayed as being a no good useless companion, who is a negative influence on Hal. "There is a devil haunts thee in the likeness of an old fat man." (463-464) Hal alludes to the devil by comparing Falstaff to one haunting Hal. The devil in religious texts primarily serves as a force whose goal is often to mislead and harm, which has a sinister connotation that Hal does not benefit from his relationship with Falstaff. For Falstaff having a companion with the wealth and status of Hal, allows him to enjoy significant benefits he would not have been able to acquire himself. Within the first stanza, Hal employs the heavy use of invective through the use of metaphors. Although supposed to be reflecting the views of king Henry, Hal's use of invective could show there is some truth in what he is saying and could uncover true feelings he has towards Falstaff and the parasitic relationship they share. Anaphora is also utilized within first stanza with Hal repeatedly referring to Falstaff as "that". The use of anaphora is crucial to creating a tone of disdain, and because it allows Hal to feverishly criticize Falstaff and his misgivings, it drives home the opinion of Falstaff being a useless old fat drunk, and ultimately a good for nothing.
