The Merry Wives of Windsor: Difference between revisions

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Shakespeare's "merry wives" are Mistress Ford and Mistress Page of the town of Windsor. The two play practical jokes on Mistress Ford's jealous husband and a visiting knight, Sir John Falstaff.
In ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'', one of [[William Shakespeare's plays]], Shakespeare's "merry wives" are Mistress Ford and Mistress Page of the town of Windsor. The two play practical jokes on Mistress Ford'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 "citizen comedy" or "city comedy." In such plays, courtiers, gentlemen, or knights use social superiority to seduce citizens' wives.
Merry wives, jealous husbands, and predatory knights were common in a kind of play called "citizen comedy" or "city comedy." In such plays, courtiers, gentlemen, or knights use social superiority to seduce citizens' wives.
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== Productions at the Folger ==
== Productions at the Folger ==
* [[The Merry Wives of Windsor (2020)|''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' (2020)]]


== Early editions ==
== Early editions ==
Line 23: Line 24:
'''First Quarto'''
'''First Quarto'''


:LUNA: [http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/s/p28060/ First Quarto]
:LUNA: [http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/s/5198x8/ First Quarto]
:Hamnet: [http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=163951/ STC 22299]
:Hamnet: [http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=163951/ STC 22299]


'''Second Quarto'''
'''Second Quarto'''


:LUNA: [http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/s/7q9zn7/ Second Quarto]
:LUNA: [http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/s/87xhj1/ Second Quarto]
:Hamnet: [http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=163952/ STC 22300 Copy 1]
:Hamnet: [http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=163952/ STC 22300 Copy 1]


'''Third Quarto'''
'''Third Quarto'''


:LUNA: [http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/s/yqd1y4/ Third Quarto]
:LUNA: [http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/s/a5u76j/ Third Quarto]
:Hamnet: [http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=163953/ STC 22301]
:Hamnet: [http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=163953/ STC 22301]
<gallery>
File:STC 22273 Fo.1 no.68 D2r.jpg|The 1623 First Folio title page of ''The Merry Wives of Windsor''. STC 22273 Fo.1 no.68.
File:STC 22274 Fo.2 no.07 D2r.jpg|The title page of the 1632 Second Folio edition of ''The Merry Wives of Windsor''.
File:STC 22299 title page.jpg| The title page of ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' printed in the 1602 First Quarto.
File:STC 22300 copy 4 title page.jpg|The 1619 Second Quarto title page of '"The Merry Wives of Windsor''. STC 22300.
File:STC 22301 title page .jpg|The title page of ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' printed in the 1630 Third Quarto.
</gallery>


== Modern editions ==
== Modern editions ==
 
[[File:Merry Wives of Windsor Folger Edition.jpg|150px|right]]
''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' can be read online with [http://www.folgerdigitaltexts.org/?chapter=5&play=Wiv&loc=p7/ Folger Digital Texts] and purchased from [http://books.simonandschuster.net/Merry-Wives-of-Windsor/William-Shakespeare/Folger-Shakespeare-Library/9780671722784/ Simon and Schuster].
''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' can be read online with [http://www.folgerdigitaltexts.org/?chapter=5&play=Wiv&loc=p7/ Folger Digital Texts] and purchased from [http://books.simonandschuster.net/Merry-Wives-of-Windsor/William-Shakespeare/Folger-Shakespeare-Library/9780671722784/ Simon and Schuster].


:Hamnet link to Folger Edition: [http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=189392/ PR2753 .M6 2003 copy 2 v.24]
:Hamnet link to Folger Edition: [http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=189392/ PR2753 .M6 2003 copy 2 v.24]
==In popular culture==


== Translations ==
== Translations ==
The Folger owns over 20 stand-alone translations of ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' in various languages (not including collected works). Cataloging of these works is ongoing as of early 2015, and many have full-level catalog records, but some works still have only partial records. Translations can be found [[Hamnet]] in by searching for "Translations"in the '''Genre/Form Term''' field, or by searching the '''Call Number (Left-Anchored)''' field for call numbers starting with PR2796 (see the list of [[List of Sh.Col. call numbers#PR2796 .E2.80.93 Translations|Sh.Col. translations call numbers]] for specific language call numbers). Since not all translations are fully cataloged, some items may only turn up in one of these searches.


== Performance materials ==  
== Performance materials ==  


== Other media ==
== Other media ==
===Image Group===


Explore the curated [https://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/s/m3c8dr image group] for ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' in the Folger digital image collection.


== Notes ==  
== Notes ==  
<references>
<references />
 
[[Category: William Shakespeare's works]]
[[Category: Plays]]
[[Category: Comedies]]
[[Category:The Merry Wives of Windsor|Merry Wives of Windsor, The]]
[[Category: 17th century]]
[[Category: Early modern drama]]

Latest revision as of 09:12, 8 October 2021

In The Merry Wives of Windsor, one of William Shakespeare's plays, Shakespeare's "merry wives" are Mistress Ford and Mistress Page of the town of Windsor. The two play practical jokes on Mistress Ford'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 "citizen comedy" or "city comedy." In such plays, courtiers, gentlemen, or knights use social superiority to seduce citizens' wives.

The Windsor wives, though, do not follow that patter. Instead, Falstaff'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 "hero" of the play for many audiences.

Scholars think Shakespeare wrote this play between 1597 and 1601. It was published as a quarto in 1602. A fuller, more readable text appeared in the 1623 First Folio in 1623. Sources likely included a story for Ser Giovanni Fiorentino's Il Pecorone (The Dunce) and Tarltons Newes out of Purgatorie.[1]

Productions at the Folger

Early editions

First Folio

LUNA: First Folio: D2r - E6v
Hamnet: STC 22273 Fo.1 no. 68

Second Folio

LUNA: Second Folio: D2r - E6v
Hamnet: STC 22274 Fo. 2 no. 07

First Quarto

LUNA: First Quarto
Hamnet: STC 22299

Second Quarto

LUNA: Second Quarto
Hamnet: STC 22300 Copy 1

Third Quarto

LUNA: Third Quarto
Hamnet: STC 22301

Modern editions

Merry Wives of Windsor Folger Edition.jpg

The Merry Wives of Windsor can be read online with Folger Digital Texts and purchased from Simon and Schuster.

Hamnet link to Folger Edition: PR2753 .M6 2003 copy 2 v.24



In popular culture

Translations

The Folger owns over 20 stand-alone translations of The Merry Wives of Windsor in various languages (not including collected works). Cataloging of these works is ongoing as of early 2015, and many have full-level catalog records, but some works still have only partial records. Translations can be found Hamnet in by searching for "Translations"in the Genre/Form Term field, or by searching the Call Number (Left-Anchored) field for call numbers starting with PR2796 (see the list of Sh.Col. translations call numbers for specific language call numbers). Since not all translations are fully cataloged, some items may only turn up in one of these searches.

Performance materials

Other media

Image Group

Explore the curated image group for The Merry Wives of Windsor in the Folger digital image collection.

Notes

  1. Adapted from the Folger Library Shakespeare edition, edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. © 2004 Folger Shakespeare Library.