The Merry Wives of Windsor by William ShakespeareMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A slight but still very funny play – I laughed out loud a few times while reading which I can't say I've done for other comedies of the period. It indulges in quite sadistic treatment of Falstaff, which fans of the character from the Henry IV plays might find unsettling. Here he takes on a similar role to that of Malvolio in Twelfth Night – a gull who is mercilessly tortured for his (financially-motivated) letchery. The extent to which Falstaff is pilloried for offending middle class propriety might suggest that Shakespeare wanted to moderate the sympathy we might feel towards him in his histories. Falstaff's riots are a source of fun, but they must ultimately be contained and repressed for civilised life to continue. The stars of the show here are the wives who skillfully weave their plots around the hapless men around them – their merriment is not a sign of loose morals but a tool of moral edification.
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