num_pages: 263
description: Each edition 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 famous lines and phrases • An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language • An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play • Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books Essay by Natasha Korda The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare'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 www.folger.edu.When a new play was required at short notice for a court occasion in 1597, Shakespeare created The Merry Wives of Windsor, a warm-hearted and spirited "citizen comedy" filled with boisterous action, situational irony, rich characterization--and the likes of Falstaff, Pistol, Mistress Quickly, and Justice Shallow. In his introduction and commentary, Craik examines a wide range of topics, including the play's probable occasion, its relationship to Shakespeare's English history plays and to other sources, its textual history, with particular reference to the widely diverging 1623 Folio and 1602 Quarto, and its quality as drama. In light of various topical, critical, and theatrical interpretations of the play, Craik pays particular attention to defining the literal sense, proposing some new readings, and evoking the many aspects of the stage business. About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
language: English
title: The Merry Wives of Windsor
titlecomplete: The Merry Wives of Windsor
characters: John, servant in the Ford household, Abraham Slender, Robin, Page to Falstaff, Doctor Caius, Anne (Nan) Page, Mistress Alice Ford, Bardolph, Robert Shallow, Corporal Nim, Ancient Pistol, Peter Simple, John Rugby, Sir John Falstaff, Mistress Nell Quickly, Parson Hugh Evans, Fenton, George Page, Host of the Garter Inn, Frank Ford, Robert, servant in the Ford household, William Page, Mistress Margaret (Meg) Page
genres: Fiction, Plays, Theatre, Poetry, British Literature, Drama, Comedy, Humor, Literature, Classics
ratings_count: 12844
publisher: Simon & Schuster