The Merry Wives of Windsor
A play by William Shakespeare about two wives who plot to teach their husbands a lesson in fidelity. Ford, a bumbling knight, is the unwitting target of their schemes. In the end, he learns his lesson and the wives get what they want.
By William Shakespeare · First published 1598 · Genre: Comedy, Play, Drama · 23 chapters · 43,915 words
First lines
Windsor. Before Page's house.
Enter Justice Shallow, Slender, and Sir Hugh Evans.
What this Textopian page supports
The Merry Wives of Windsor is listed on Textopian as a play by William Shakespeare, dated 1598 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Play
- Author: William Shakespeare
- Date: 1598 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Comedy, Play, Drama, Romance, Historical
- Length: 43,915 words
- Structure: 23 chapters, 1,300 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Merry Wives of Windsor?
- How does this play by William Shakespeare fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Comedy first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- Alls Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare
- The Vortex by Noel Coward
- Labours Lost by William Shakespeare
- Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
- The Rivals by James Weldon Johnson
- At The Sign Of The Cat And Racket by Honore De Balzac
Genres
- Comedy — The play makes use of humorous incidents and witty dialogue that is characteristic of comedy.
- Play — The work is a stage play, and is scripted for performance rather than regular book reading.
- Drama — The play contains dramatic elements including character development and conflict despite its primarily comedic nature.
- Romance — The plot involves relationships and romantic intrigue, attributed to the romantic genre.
Tags
Comedy · Romance · Farce · Tragedy · Historical · Drama · Shakespeare · Elizabethan · England · Windsor · Marriage · Adultery
Contents
- SCENE I
- SCENE I
- SCENE I
- SCENE I
- SCENE I
- SCENE II
- SCENE II
- SCENE II
- SCENE II
- SCENE II
- SCENE III
- SCENE III
- SCENE III
- SCENE III
- SCENE III
- SCENE IV
- SCENE IV
- SCENE IV
- SCENE IV
- SCENE V
- SCENE V
- SCENE V
- SCENE VI