The Merry Wives of Windsor
The fat knight Sir John Falstaff imagines that Mistress Ford and Mistress Page are both taken with him and so, attracted as much by their husbands’ money as their personal charms, he decides to woo them both. But the women are up to the old lecher’s tricks and turn the tables on him with a series of humiliating assignations, midnight terrors and a very damp, extremely smelly laundry basket. Gutsy, colloquial and bustling with vivid characters, The Merry Wives of Windsor is a brilliantly constructed farce and the only comedy Shakespeare set in his native land. It is also the ancestor of English bourgeois comedy and gave birth to a tradition that reaches down to the modern TV sitcom. The production made merry with the relationship between the life of middle-class Elizabethan England and the late medieval period in which the play is set.
Insights
Plot Summary
This production of Shakespeare's bawdy comedy sees the eternally scheming Mistress Ford and Mistress Page attempting to teach the lecherous Sir John Falstaff a lesson in love. After Falstaff sends identical love letters to both women, they conspire together to humiliate him. Their plans involve disguises, mistaken identities, and a series of increasingly chaotic and farcical encounters, all set against the backdrop of Elizabethan England.
Critical Reception
The 2011 production of 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' at Shakespeare's Globe was generally well-received by critics, praised for its energetic performances and a playful interpretation of the classic comedy. Audiences appreciated the accessible and humorous take on the text.
What Reviewers Say
- Praised for its lively and humorous direction.
- Applauded for strong comedic performances from the lead actors.
- Considered an accessible and enjoyable staging of the classic play.
Google audience: Information on Google user reviews for this specific production is not readily available.
Fun Fact
This particular production was staged at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London, an authentic reconstruction of the open-air playhouse where many of Shakespeare's original plays were first performed.
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