Background
Unlike the histories centered on national politics, this comedy builds its action around household life and community reputation. The repeated trick played on Falstaff lets the women control the pace and shape of the town’s entertainment.
Reading notes
- Compare the two letters Falstaff sends and how the wives coordinate their response.
- Notice how rumor and mistaken identity move the subplot involving Ford.
- Watch how Windsor’s community participates in the final forest scene.
Version note
Text source: the Standard Ebooks EPUB edition identified on this page. This site extracted the English text and retained the source edition’s chapter order. Public-domain status must be checked for the territory where the text will be distributed.