Jan Onufry Zagłoba is a fictional character in the Trilogy by Henryk Sienkiewicz. Together with other characters of The Trilogy, Zagłoba engages in various adventures, fighting for the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and seeking adventures and glory. Zagłoba is seen as one of Sienkiewicz most popular and significant characters. While he has often been compared to Shakespearean character of Falstaff, he also goes through extensive character development, becoming a jovial and cunning hero. Fictional character biography After meeting another character of the Trilogy, Jan Skrzetuski, Zagłoba, until now living a meaningless life of a lesser noble, trying to survive by exploiting the good faith of others, becomes drawn into the company of hero-like personas, and slowly changes, to become worthy of their trust and friendship. Together with them, Zagłoba engages in various adventures, fighting for the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and seeking adventures and glory. During a feast, in a rather drunken state, he was the first to call prince Janusz Radziwiłł a traitor. Eventually he becomes a widely known person, treated with respect by powerful magnates and offering counsel to the king. He was balding and half-blind, known for his love of drinking and story-telling (usually glorifying his own exploits), tendency to poke fun at everyone and everything, later also renowned as a cunning tactician. His coat of arms is Wczele or Zagłoba. Significance and literary analysis Zagłoba appears in Sienkiewicz's The Trilogy series of three books: With Fire and Sword (Ogniem i Mieczem) and The Deluge (Potop), and the last part of the series, Colonel Wolodyjowski (Pan Wołodyjowski).' Stanisław Kozłowski notes that Zagłoba is seen as one of Sienkiewicz most popular and significant characters. Roman Dyboski wrote that Zagłoba's humorous persona was one of the most enduring of Sienkiewicz characters. Horst Frenz wrote that Zagłoba "belongs forever to the gallery of immortal comic characters of world literature, and he is thoroughly original." He has been often compared to the Shakespearean character of Falstaff. This comparison, made by Dyboski and others, is often based on his propensity for drinking and partying, sharp tongue and cunning, and telling exaggerated tales of his youthful adventures. Unlike Falstaff, he grows to become a more mature character, and this transformation can be observed in the first book, beginning with the moment where he decides to risk his life to protect the proverbial damsel in distress, Helena, in the midst of the ongoing Chmielnicki uprising. This transformation is