Merry gossips of Windsor

See also: Merry Gossips of Windsor (homonymy)

The Merry Wives off Windsor , in French the Merry Gossips of Windsor , is a Comédie of William Shakespeare, published in 1602.

Intrigue

Sir John Falstaff decides to court Mistress Page and Mistress Ford, two merry gossips of Windsor. The two women who are large friends, are recognized to hold the cords of the purse at the house and Falstaff is precisely in lack of money.

It sends love letters identical to the two women, changing only the signature there. But the two friends who compared the two letters recognize immediately the operation of John Falstaff. They thus decide to have fun with its depend.

Mistress Ford requires of Falstaff to come to it enters 10 and 11 hours of the morning, hour to which her husband is absent. Falstaff accepts and goes to go. Mr. Ford is also informed and goes on the spot. On arrival of the husband, Falstaff hides with difficulty in the trunk with linen. The servants carry the trunk and throw Falstaff in the Thames.

Mistress Ford invites once again Falstaff and the stratagem starts again. This time, when Mr. Ford arrives, it is Falstaff disguised as a woman that he sees. Believer to deal with witch, it literally throws it out of the house.

The two women explain the jokes with their husbands and all decide to make fun last once of Falstaff. Mistress Ford and Page, require of him to meet them in the forest of Windsor and to be disguised in phantom not to be made recognize. Falstaff accepts readily.

Meanwhile, Anne Page, the girl of Mistress Page has three courtiers. Slender, the choice of his/her father, Dr. Caius, the choice of his/her mother and Peg wood that which she wants to marry. Everyone gives itself appointment in the forest. Anne escapes the two applicants of which she does not want thanks to mistakes on the color of her clothing. She runs away herself with Fenton with which she Marie. As for Falstaff, children disguised in fairies make fun of him.

Characters

* SIR JOHN FALSTAFF

* PEG WOOD, in love with Anne Page

* SHALLOW, Justice of the Peace of countryside

* SLENDER, cousin of Shallow

* FORD, PAGE, middle-class man of Windsor

* WILLIAM PAGE, young boy, wire of Page

* SIR HUGH EVANS, Welsh priest

* DOCTOR CAIUS, French doctor

* HOST of the Jumper

* BARDOLPHE, GUN, NYM, of the band of Falstaff

* ROBIN, SIMPLE page of Falstaff

*, servant of Slender

* RUGBY, servant of Doctor Caius

* MISTRESS FORD

* MISTRESS PAGE

* MISTRESS ANNE PAGE, her girl

* MISTRESS QUICKLY, maidservant of Doctor Caius

* SERVANTS of Page, FORD, etc

Adaptations

Merry Gossips of Windsor ( Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor ), film britannico-Austrian carried out by Georg Tressler in 1966.
Merry Gossips of Windsor ( The Merry Wives off Windsor ), British telefilm carried out by David Hugh Jones in 1982.

Random links: