Introduction to the play
In The Merry Wives of Windsor, 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 pattern. 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.
The Folger Shakespeare
Our bestselling editions of Shakespeare's plays and poems
Why then, the world’s mine oyster, which I
with sword will open.
—Pistol
Act 2, scene 2, lines 2–3
… Setting the attraction of
my good parts aside, I have no other charms.
—Falstaff
Act 2, scene 2, lines 105–106
The Merry Wives of Windsor in our collection
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Essays and resources from The Folger Shakespeare
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Learn more about the play, its language, and its history from the experts behind our edition.
About Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor
An introduction to the plot, themes, and characters in the play
Reading Shakespeare’s Language
A guide for understanding Shakespeare’s words, sentences, and wordplay
An Introduction to This Text
A description of the publishing history of the play and our editors’ approach to this edition
Textual Notes
A record of the variants in the early printings of this text
A Modern Perspective
An essay by Natasha Korda
Further Reading
Suggestions from our experts on where to learn more
Shakespeare and his world
Learn more about Shakespeare, his theater, and his plays from the experts behind our editions.
Shakespeare’s Life
An essay about Shakespeare and the time in which he lived
Shakespeare’s Theater
An essay about what theaters were like during Shakespeare’s career
The Publication of Shakespeare’s Plays
An essay about how Shakespeare’s plays were published
Related blog posts and podcasts
Q&A: Jacob Ming-Trent on Falstaff, Bottom, and Shakespeare’s comedy
Jacob Ming-Trent shares a favorite moment from his Shakespeare in the Park performance as Falstaff in “Merry Wives,” which premieres on PBS’s Great Performances May 20.
Folger Finds: A carved oak casket for holding a Shakespeare First Folio
Casket, carved in an Elizabethan style 1866.Imagine buying a book and having the queen of England give you a special case in which to store it! That’s what happened after wealthy heiress Angela Burdett-Coutts purchased a Shakespeare First Folio in…
The Merry Wives of Windsor: What sets this comedy apart from Shakespeare’s other plays?
Simple (Derrick Truby) and Mistress Quickly (Kate Eastwood Norris) in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Folger Theatre, 2019. Cameron Whitman Photography. The Merry Wives of Windsor was written at the end of the 16th century, and is what I would…
Playlist: Windsor Top 20
Keep the party going beyond the theater with our “Merry Wives”-inspired Spotify playlist, featuring the tunes of the 70s and more.
Dramaturg's Notes: The Merry Wives of Windsor
Folger Resident Dramaturg Michele Osherow explores the history of ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor,’ the wit of its wives, and the far-out 1970s setting of Folger Theatre’s production.
Shakespeare and opera: Jealousy and tragedy in Verdi's Otello
Leah Crocetto (Desdemona) and Russell Thomas (Otello) in WNO’s Otello. Photo by Scott Suchman. I find it fascinating that Verdi’s last two operas were both inspired by Shakespeare: Otello (1887) and Falstaff (1893), yet they are very different in story,…
Teaching The Merry Wives of Windsor
Use the Folger Method to teach any of Shakespeare’s works. Become a Teacher Member to get exclusive access to lesson plans and professional development.
The Key to Getting ALL Students Understanding and Interpreting Complex Texts
The Key to Getting ALL Students Understanding and Interpreting Complex Texts
Free resource
The First Week of School: Literature Line Toss
The First Week of School: Literature Line Toss
2-Line Scenes - General Shakespeare
Free resource
The Monologue Project
The Monologue Project
Free resource
Essential Everyday Bravery
Early printed texts
The Merry Wives of Windsor was first published as a quarto in 1602 (Q1) and then reprinted in a 1619 quarto edition (Q2). It was included in the 1623 First Folio (F1) in a version that is nearly twice as long as Q1, and although the two share essentially the same course of dramatic action, in some places their dialogue diverges substantially. (The 1630 Q3 reprints the F1 version.) Most modern editors base their text on F1, while drawing on Q1’s rich stage directions, as do the Folger’s editors.
