History Theatre / TheMerryWivesOfWindsor

This appears to be one of the few plays for which Shakespeare came up with an original plot[[note]] along with ''Theatre/LovesLaboursLost'', ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'', and ''Theatre/TheTempest''[[/note]]. At least four operas have been based on the play: ''Falstaff'' (1799), with music by Antonio Salieri, Otto Nicolai's ''Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor'' (1849), ''Sir John In Love'' (1929) by Music/RalphVaughan Williams, and the best-known, ''Theatre/{{Falstaff}}'' (1893), by Music/GiuseppeVerdi.

This appears to be one of the few plays for which Shakespeare came up with an original plot[[note]] along with ''Theatre/LovesLaboursLost'', ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'', and ''Theatre/TheTempest''[[/note]]. At least four operas have been based on the play: 1799's ''Falstaff'', with music by Antonio Salieri, Otto Nicolai's ''Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor'', ''Sir John In Love'' by Music/RalphVaughan Williams, and the best-known, ''Theatre/{{Falstaff}}'', by Music/GiuseppeVerdi.

This appears to be one of the few plays for which Shakespeare came up with an original plot[[note]] along with ''Theatre/LovesLaboursLost'', ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'', and ''Theatre/TheTempest''[[/note]]. At least three operas have been based on the play: one with music by Otto Nicolai, one, under the title of ''Theatre/{{Falstaff}}'', by Music/GiuseppeVerdi, and one by Music/RalphVaughanWilliams, titled ''Sir John In Love''.

This appears to be one of the few plays for which Shakespeare came up with an original plot[[note]] along with ''Theatre/LovesLaboursLost'', ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'', and ''Theatre/TheTempest''[[/note]]. At least three operas have been based on the play: one with music by Otto Nicolai, one, under the title of ''Falstaff'', by Music/GiuseppeVerdi, and one by Music/RalphVaughanWilliams, titled ''Sir John In Love''.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

Falstaff had previously appeared as a supporting character in Shakespeare's historical plays, ''Theatre/HenryIVPart1'' and ''[[Theatre/HenryIVPart2 Part 2]]'', but here appears in what seems to be a contemporary setting.

This appears to be one of the few plays for which Shakespeare came up with an original plot[[note]] along with ''Theatre/LovesLaboursLost'', ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'', and ''Theatre/TheTempest''[[/note]]. At least three operas have been based on the play: one with music by Otto Nicolai, one, under the title of ''Falstaff'', by Music/GiuseppeVerdi, and one by Ralph Vaughan Williams, titled ''Sir John In Love''.

This appears to be one of the few plays for which Shakespeare came up with an original plot[[note]] along with ''Theatre/LovesLaboursLost'', ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'', and ''Theatre/TheTempest''[[/note]]. At least three operas have been based on the play: one with music by Otto Nicolai, one by Ralph Vaughn Williams, and one, under the title of ''Falstaff'', by Giuseppe Verdi.

Falstaff had previously appeared as a supporting character in Shakespeare's historical plays, ''Theatre/HenryIVPart1'' and ''[[Theatre/HenryIVPart2 Part 2]]'', but here appears in a contemporary setting.

->''"Let's be revenged on him; let's appoint him a meeting, give him a show of comfort in his suit, and lead him on with a fine-baited delay, till he hath pawned his horses to mine host of the Garter."''
-->-- '''Mrs. Ford suggesting a KansasCityShuffle''', Act II, Scene 1.

** Falstaff to mistresses Page and Ford.

''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comic play by Creator/WilliamShakespeare.

* FunnyForeigner: Both Doctor Caius and Hugh Evans serve as this.

** During Falstaff's final humiliation by the "fairies" (that are actually normal humans in disguise) Anne's father, George Page, wants to sneak Anne, who will be disguised as the fairy queen, off with Slender so that Anne and Slender can get married like George wants. Anne's mother, Margaret, wants her to marry doctor Caius instead, so she's made arrangements for the role of the fairy queen to be played by [[WholesomeCrossdresser a boy]] instead. That way, the "Anne" in the fairy queen suit will be a decoy to fool George. The real Anne will be another of the masked "fairies," made to dress in green so that Margaret can tell which one is Anne.
** Or at least that's how Margaret expects things to go. The truth is that "Anne" in green is another decoy, set by Fenton, who Annie is actually in love with and ''wants'' to marry. So while George thinks he's outsmarted Margaret, and Margaret thinks she's outsmarted George, both of them are outsmarted by Fenton, who sneaks away with Anne for a secret wedding.
* MistakenForCheating: Ford learns of Falstaff's intentions toward his wife, and spends part of the play believing that she reciprocates them.

** Falstaff dressed up as the Witch of Brentford to avoid Ford.
** Ford himself as Brook, talking to Falstaff.
* ScoobyDooHoax: A bunch of people disguised as fairies scare the living daylights out of Falstaff as revenge for his dishonest behavior.

* ItIsPronouncedTropay: In French as it was spoken both when the play is set and when it was written, "Honi soit qui mal y pense" was pronounced "Õ-nee SWAY key MAHL ee PẼ-suh".

'''Hugh Evans''': ''Nominativo'', ''hig, hag, hog''; pray you, mark: [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar ''genitivo:, hujus''.]] Well, what is your accusative case?\\

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: When Sir Hugh Evans teaches the boy William Page what the "''focative'' case" is, [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19271_8-filthy-jokes-hidden-in-ancient-works-art.html which is a play on the word "vocative" and the offending "f-word"]], according to Cracked.com.
** HilarityEnsues with quite a number of DoubleEntendre puns during the Latin pop quiz, bordering on DogLatin:
--->'''Hugh Evans''': What is your genitive case, William?\\
'''William''': Genitive case?\\
'''Hugh Evans''': Ay.\\
'''William''': Genitive, ''horum, harum, horum''.\\
'''Mistress Quickly''': Vengeance of Jenny's case! Fie on her! Never name her, child, if she be a whore.\\
'''Hugh Evans''': For shame, 'oman!\\
'''Mistress Quickly''': You do ill to teach the child such words! He teaches him to hick and to hack, which they'll do fast enough of themselves, and to call "horum", fie upon you!

* FunetikAksent: Shakespeare writes out Evans's Welsh accent and Doctor Caius's French accent. When Evans is disguised as a fairy, he tries to suppress his accent. He succeeds partially--it's not written out phonetically anymore, but it's still heavyt enough to be recognizable as a Welsh accent.

-->'''Hugh Evans''': What is your genitive case, William?\\