The character of Sir John Falstaff – the corpulent, drunken braggart/clown – proved to be so popular that William Shakespeare brought him back for a stand-alone comedy and the result is ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor, ‘ a light-hearted romp that finds Sir John chasing not one, but TWO married women with their husbands in hot pursuit.
At the outset of the play, Falstaff finds himself in debt (as usual) and decides to solve his money problems by pursuing the wives of two wealthy merchants, Masters Ford and Page. But when the wives find that they have received identical letters from their would-be suitor, they decide to teach Falstaff a lesson and instead of pitching woo, Falstaff soon finds himself pitched into an icy river (and worse).
One of Shakespeare’s most beloved and oft-performed comedies, ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ is presented here in its original and unabridged format.
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William Shakespeare is generally acknowledged as the greatest dramatist in the history of English literature. Also a poet and actor, Shakespeare was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, where he received an education at the local grammar school, but whether he attended any educational institution subsequent to his early tutelage is unknown. By eighteen, Shakespeare was married – to an already-pregnant Anne Hathaway – and the couple would go on to have three children, Susanna and the twins Hamnet and Judith. (Hamnet died at 11 years old.) Shakespeare moved to London soon after the birth of the twins and began publishing poems (‘Venus and Adonis’ (1593) and ‘The Rape of Lucrece’ (1594)) and joined the Lord Chamberlain’s Men as an actor and playwright. Shakespeare stayed with the Lord Chamberlain’s Men throughout his career, producing some of his finest work – ‘King Lear, ‘ ‘Macbeth’ and ‘The Tempest’ among them – after the company fell under the patronage of King James I and became The King’s Men. During his career, Shakespeare penned 38 plays, two narrative poems and over 150 sonnets and enjoyed considerable financial success, eventually buying New Place, one of the largest homes in Stratford. Following his death in 1616 at the age of 52, thirty-six of his plays were collected and published as the First Folio and his entire canon – including his extant plays, sonnets and poems – were published as The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s plays are the most produced dramatic works in existence and they have been translated and adapted into countless stage, screen and television productions over the years. Entire theatres are devoted to producing his works and his writings are studied and analyzed in literature classes around the world.
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