The Merry Wives of Windsor

The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare, first published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a reference to Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England. Though nominally set in the early 15th century, the play makes no pretence to exist outside contemporary Elizabethan middle class life. It features the character Sir John Falstaff, the fat, joke-loving knight who had previously been featured in Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 as the recreational companion of the future King Henry V. It has been adapted for the opera on several occasions. most famously by Giuseppe Verdi.

There is a popular claim that Shakespeare wrote the play in two weeks on a hurried commission from Queen Elizabeth, who wished to see a play about Falstaff in love. This is used to explain why Falstaff is less witty than he is in the Henry plays. This story may be entirely apocryphal.

The Merry Wives of Windsor in Ruled Britannia

The Merry Wives of Windsor was a play by William Shakespeare, performed by Lord Westmorland's Men at The Theatre. Will Kemp, wearing a false belly, enjoyed playing the comical anti-hero Falstaff, and asked Shakespeare to write a play where Falstaff meets a King of England. Shakespeare, however, was reluctant to arouse Spanish ire by idolising an independent English ruler; he had only attempted Richard III because its title character was a loathsome villain.