Author(s): Shakespeare, William,
Binding: Paperback,
Date of Publication: 09/12/1999,
Pagination: 368 pages, illustrations,
Series: The Arden Shakespeare Third Series,
Imprint: Arden Shakespeare,
Published By: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC,
Book Classification: Educational: study & revision guides, Shakespeare plays
ISBN13\EAN\SKU: 9781904271123

Description:
The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare's only thoroughly English comedy, created an archetypal literary figure in the shape of the devious, irrepressible John Falstaff.

This stimulating new edition celebrates the play as a joyous exploration of language, but also places elements of its plot firmly in a continental, specifically Italian, tradition of romantic comedy.

It draws out the complexities of Merry Wives as a multi-plot play, and takes a fresh and challenging look at both textual and dating issues; a facsimile of the first Quarto is included as an appendix.

The play's extensive performance history, both dramatic and operatic, is fully explored and discussed.