The Merry Wives of Windsor (Folger Shakespeare Library)

The Merry Wives of Windsor (Folger Shakespeare Library)

Shakespeareâ€™s â€œmerry wivesâ€ are Mistress Ford and Mistress Page of the town of Windsor. The two play practical jokes on Mistress Fordâ€™s jealous husband and a visiting knight, Sir John Falstaff.

Merry wives, jealous husbands, and predatory knights were common in a kind of play called â€œcitizen comedyâ€ or â€œcity comedy.â€ In such plays, courtiers, gentlemen, or knights use social superiority to seduce citizensâ€™ wives.

The Windsor wives, though, do not follow that pattern. Instead, Falstaffâ€™s offer of himself as lover inspires their torment of him. Falstaff responds with the same linguistic facility that Shakespeare gives him in the history plays in which he appears, making him the â€œheroâ€ of the play for many audiences.

The authoritative edition of The Merry Wives of Windsor from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes:

-Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
-Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play
-Scene-by-scene plot summaries
-A key to the playâ€™s famous lines and phrases
-An introduction to reading Shakespeareâ€™s language
-An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play
-Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Libraryâ€™s vast holdings of rare books
-An annotated guide to further reading

Essay by Natasha Korda

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the worldâ€™s largest collection of Shakespeareâ€™s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.
Country USA
Manufacturer Simon & Schuster
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2016-03-15
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Simon & Schuster
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2016-03-15
Format	Kindle eBook

The Merry Wives of Windsor (Folger Shakespeare Library)

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