How alice ford and margaret page earn their paradise is played out against an acute and lovingly observed tapestry of shakespeares own country, elizabethan england, its follies, strengths and new emerging society. The merry wives of windsor contains two important plotlines. Mar 18, 2017 the merry wives of windsor is a real romp of a shakespeare comedy and is characterized by a feminist theme throughout. The plot the merry wives of windsor royal shakespeare. A cousin of shallow and unsuccessful suitor of anne page.
The merry wives of windsor play characters stageagent. The merry wives of windsor is a comedy by william shakespeare, first published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to 1597. You can also find more detail on sir john falstaff and mistress quickly in these articles. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee support for browsers with javascript disabled, you may experience some difficulties using this website. The merry wives of windsor or sir john falstaff and the merry wives of windsor is a comedy by william shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. Instead the two merry wives collude to play a series of embarrassing pranks on falstaff. Plays sonnets poems concordance character search advanced search about oss.
The merry wives of windsor royal shakespeare company. The merry wives of windsor, comedy in five acts by william shakespeare, written sometime between 1597 and 1601 probably near the earlier of these dates, that centres on the comic romantic misadventures of falstaff. Full text, summaries, illustrations, guides for reading, and more. In the plays main plot, a downandout nobleman tries to seduce two housewives in order to gain access to their husbands cash. The merry wives of windsor characters mistress ford. The merry wives of windsor work by shakespeare britannica. The windsor of the plays title is a reference to windsor castle in berkshire, england, and though nominally set in the reign of henry iv, the play makes no pretence to exist outside contemporary. The merry wives of windsor was first acted between 1600 and 1601. Shakespeares the merry wives of windsor is a story of marriage, wealth, jealousy and lies.
Some scholars have felt that the falstaff of the merry wives of windsor is infinitely inferior to the character we know from the henry iv plays. Character list sir john falstaff consistent with the image of the neerdowell companion of prince hal later to be henry v in several of shakespeares history plays, the falstaff of the merry wives of windsor is selfconsciously pompous and eloquent, selfpitying when the occasion arises, and always ready to exploit anyone man or woman. It features the fat knight sir john falstaff, and is shakespeares only play to deal exclusively with contemporary elizabethan era english middle class life. Jul 29, 2018 shakespeares the merry wives of windsor is contemporary for our time because it shows now more than ever which sex really is in control. When she and mistress page receive a seductive letter from falstaff, they decide to lead him on and ruin him. The merry wives of windsor stands out among shakespeares plays as the only one centered on middle class people, as opposed to royalty and the ruling classes.
The merry wives of windsor is a play that has characters of mixed social standing, by which i mean that youve got a knight, sir john falstaff, but youve also got people from what we would now call the middle classes, people who do something for a living. The merry wives of windsor act 4, scene 4 translation. When mistress ford receives a letter from falstaff trying. The two play practical jokes on mistress fords jealous husband and a visiting knight, sir john falstaff. Sir john falstaff, mistress ford, and more in the merry wives of windsor.
In the merry wives of windsor, a character is a key ingredient that makes this play one of shakespeares funniest comedies. A gentleman of windsor and husband of mistress alice ford. The plays funniest plotline is the conflict between sir john falstaff and the two merry wives mistress ford and mistress page. His scheme does not work, however, and the merry wives of windsor trick and humiliate him on no less than three separate occasions. Sir john falstaff attempts to seduce two married ladies, mistress page and mistress ford. The merry wives of windsor focuses on how a community establishes and preserves its own standards. A most pleasant and excellent conceited comedy, of sir john falstaffe, and the merry wiues of windsor the merry wives of windsor is a comedy by william shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The merry wives of windsor tv movie 1982 the merry. The merry wives of windsor last updated december 20, 2019 the title page of the 1619 quarto the false folio. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this the merry wives of windsor study guide and get instant access to the following summary.
Shakespeares airiest souffle does put one in mind of. Folger theatre turns the merry wives of windsor into a. Male shakespearean characters comedy characters 2 fictional knights 2 falstaff 1 fictional alcohol abusers 1. Learn everything you need to know about sir john falstaff, mistress ford, and more in the merry wives of windsor. When falstaff arrives to meet mistress ford, the merry wives trick him into hiding in a laundry basket.
Falstaff, although he is quickwitted and a master of words, simply does not realize that the women are deliberately leading him on only to make a fool of him. Here is a brief the merry wives of windsor summary. All speeches lines for bardolph in merry wives of windsor. In the meantime, mistress ford hopes to prove to her husband that she is entirely faithful. A list of all the characters in the merry wives of windsor. A resident of windsor, mistress page is married to page and is a friend of mistress ford. To what extent is the merry wives of windsor a farce.
The merry wives of windsor is a comic play by william shakespeare. Shakespeares the merry wives of windsor 2018 youtube. The the merry wives of windsor characters covered include. The opera remains popular in germany, and the overture is sometimes. This comedy featuring sir john falstaff was first published in 1602, though believed to have been written sometime before 1597. A play full of witty characters, language and word play, and practical jokes against falstaff, the merry wives of windsor is a lovely romp with a delightfully happy ending. The merry wives of windsor is one of shakespeares most middle class plays. A resident of windsor, mistress ford is married to ford, who is a fiercely jealous husband. Complete list of characters in william shakespeares the merry wives of windsor.
Anyone coming from outside that social structure or from outside the confines of windsor are viewed with suspicion. Nov 08, 2019 download our merry wives of windsor worksheet. Falstaff is the outrageous, dirty rotten scoundrel who ate. The merry wives of windsor takes one of shakespeares most popular characters, sir john falstaff, and gives him a story of his own where he tries to make advances on two wives to improve his station in life but in so doing only makes a total fool of himself.
The merry wives of windsor tv movie 1982 the merry wives. It features the character sir john falstaff, the fat knight who had previously been featured in henry iv, part 1 and part 2. Falstaff decides to woo the wives of two of windsors leading merchants, page, and ford, to get money out of them. Shakespeares the merry wives of windsor is contemporary for our time because it shows now more than ever which sex really is in control. The merry wives of windsor simple english wikipedia, the. Outsiders like falstaff, fenton, caius, and evans cause a wide range of threats to windsors. Continue your study of the merry wives of windsor with these useful links. The merry wives of windsor characters robin though he brings falstaffs love letters to mistress page and mistress ford, he is easily convinced by them to turn traitor and lead his master into their trap, despite the fat knights threat of dismissing him from service if he should mention falstaffs planned doubledealing with the ladies. About 400 years before reality tv set out to show us what its like to be a real housewife, shakespeare whipped up a couple of characters designed to give a major shoutout to all the clever wives of elizabethan england. The merry wives of windsor wikimili, the free encyclopedia.
Sir john falstaff is a very fat rogue with no money but many plans to get some. Were talking, of course, about mistress margaret page and mistress alice fordthe merry wives of windsor. On top of that, justice shallow and his youthful cousin, slender, have come to windsor because falstaff has conned them out of money. Read shakespeares the merry wives of windsor, characters in the play for free from the folger shakespeare library. The merry wives of windsor annotated ebook by william. Mistress alice ford and mistress margaret page in the. This whos who of characters is written to aid your study and enjoyment of the play. Read every line of shakespeares original text alongside a modern english translation. Sir john falstaff, mistress ford, mistress page, anne page, her daughter, in love. Caius is from france and sir hugh evans has a welsh accent, both are mocked for their pronunciation and their point of difference. The merry wives of windsor is a play by william shakespeare that was first performed in 1602. In the merry wives of windsor, the roguish knight falstaff tries to flatter two married women, mistress ford and mistress page, into becoming his lovers.
Read a plot overview of the entire play or a scene by scene summary and analysis. See below for a full list of all the the merry wives of windsor characters sir john falstaff. The merry wives of windsor, characters in the play the. Mistress alice ford and mistress margaret page in the merry. The windsor of the plays title is a reference to the town of windsor, also the location of windsor castle, in berkshire, england. In the merry wives of windsor, shakespeares merry wives are mistress ford and mistress page of the town of windsor. Mistress ford go, sirs, take the basket again on your shoulders.
The merry wives of windsor, characters in the play the folger. The women of the play win over the men, and the poorlybehaved falstaff is made to pay for his treatment of women. The merry wives of windsor characters william shakespeare this study guide consists of approximately 28 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the merry wives of windsor. The merry wives of windsor study guide course hero. Much like a midsummers nights dream, the final scene focuses on an encounter between the human players and the faerie realm. The merry wives of windsor is a comedy by william shakespeare the play was 1st published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to 1597. The merry wives of windsor was published in a quarto edition in 1602 from a. Windsor, a market town west of london and the home of windsor castle, is the plays setting. The merry wives of windsor character analysis thoughtco. See a complete list of the characters in the merry wives of windsor. The merry wives of windsor or sir john falstaff and the merry wives of windsor is a comedy by. When she and mistress ford receive a seductive letter from falstaff, they. Read the story of the merry wives of windsor shakespeares comedy of sexual jealousy. Host of the garter inn is a rather merry innkeeper who is incapable of saying anything simply and likes showing off how.
Though nominally set in the reign of henry iv or early in the reign of. Like bardolph and nim, pistol is another conycatching rascal and a member of falstaffs crew. Below is a list of all the merry wives of windsor characters. Okay, so this is really two charactersbut, lets be honest. The merry wives of windsor study guide contains a biography of william shakespeare, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. About the play past productions the plot merchandise more less. A resident of windsor, mistress ford is married to ford and is a friend of mistress page. The merry wives of windsor characters breakdowns including full descriptions with standard casting requirements and expert analysis. Outsiders like falstaff, fenton, caius, and evans cause a wide range of threats to windsor s. The merry wives of windsor as a bygone tv sitcom, replete with bell bottoms, leisure suits and perky theme songs. The merry wives of windsor is a play by william shakespeare. The merry wives of windsor is shakespeares warmest and richest comedy. Sir john falstaff consistent with the image of the neerdowell companion of prince hal later to be henry v in several of shakespeares history. Why, sir, for my part i say the gentleman had drunk himself out of his five sentences.