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.
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