Sir John Falstaff, the lovable rogue, is brought back from his death in Henry V to set this farce in motion. Falstaff (Anthony Quayle), finding himself in need of funds, attempts to seduce 2 wealthy young ladies, Mistress Ford (Joyce Redman) and Mistress Page (June Jago). Alas, the scoundrel's money-making scheme goes awry when he sends the ladies - who are friends - identical love letters. The 2 women retaliate by plotting his downfall - with hilarious results.
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"I love that Shakespeare writes strong, witty women. The Merry Wives, Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page are very capable of taking care of themselves as they outwit jealous husband and ridiculous knights. This will be a very fun to play to see at the Festival this summer." — Abby (4 out of 5 stars)
"I love that Shakespeare writes strong, witty women. The Merry Wives, Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page are very capable of taking care of themselves as they outwit jealous husband and ridiculous knights. This will be a very fun to play to see at the Festival this summer."
" another case of "forgotten more than you (whippersnapper) has yet learned." time to reread. "
" I may like it better on another reading--I miss most of the puns on first readings. My first impression is that it reads like Abbot and Costello. "
" I actually really like Shakespeare's comedies. This one cracked me up, and I loved that there were three story lines going on at once. Shows truly brilliant writing! :) "
" OK not great. "
" What a hack! "
" I know this text intimately. I was privileged enough to direct a student-based production of it when I was in college. "
" I don't really remember this one very well "
" 1985 Aug 1 "
" It really didn't get merry until near the ending! What crazy fun women though! "
" A good laugh! :D "
" Funny stuff starting about the middle of the second act. "
" Shakespeare's most light-hearted comedy, and his only play with a contemporaneous UK setting. Also contains a makeshift ritualistic ceremony of Dionysus in the fifth act. "
" MUCH better on stage than as a read. I highly recommend seeing it on stage instead of reading. I know that was redundant. "
" Reading this in prepartion for a read-through party hosted by a friend who's an Opera coach. Our local opera will be putting this up soon and she thought it would be fun to get a few dramatic folk together to ham it up. I agree! "
" A top contender for my favorite comedy. "
" I guess watching this would be a lot better than reading it. Also I didn't like Falstaff so another play about him... No. "
" Great fun, with little of the biting humor of a lot of the other Shakespeare comedies "
" cuckold. hehe. "
" This is a very funny story. Like most of Shakespeare's comedies, it was a bit ridiculous and had many weaving plots. I enjoyed it "
" It was a lot of slapstick funny and not so much the ironic humor that I usually like in Shakespeare's comedies "
" A good mix of romantic comedy, farce and the thing that looms on the horizon for Shakespeare, the problem play ... though at best this one only hints at Measure for Measure or All's Well. Falstaff is always worth a read. "
" I made a resolution this year to read all of Shakespeare's plays. So far, as of March, this is all I've read. All in all, it's fun and baudy, if a bit strange and hackneyed. "
" A hoot from start to finish! After you've read it, listen to Verdi's operatic adaptation, "Falstaff," which brilliantly captures the humor of this play. "
" Saw this as a German operetta in Berlin too. "
" Probably the best single volume edition of this textually challenged play. "
" I saw this performed at the Globe theater in Ashland, Oregon. Amazing, and amazingly funny. "
" Very funny, even by today's standards. "
" This play is to Henry IV Parts I and II what Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. is to The Andy Griffith Show. "
William Shakespeare (1564–1616), English poet and dramatist of the Elizabethan and early Jacobean period, is the most widely known author in all of English literature and often considered the greatest. He was an active member of a theater company for at least twenty years, during which time he wrote many great plays. Plays were not prized as literature at the time and Shakespeare was not widely read until the middle of the eighteenth century, when a great upsurge of interest in his works began that continues today.
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