Argonautica

The most famous example of the “Play Extempore” in Elizabethan theatre is the Great Tavern Scene in Henry IV Part 1, where Falstaff and then Prince Hal, with faux amateur dramatic spontaneity, assume the role of King Henry lecturing his wayward son. Prince Hal, who had to date shared a life of drunkenness and debauchery with Falstaff, claims he will cast off the genial Sir Jack to assume a more virtuous life as King. If Jack Falstaff is inflation – self-indulgent and hedonistic – Prince Hal is Fed Chairman Powell, who after a life of notoriety as the world record money printer, has recently promised “unconditional” “commitment to restoring price stability.”