The Merry Wives of Windsor is one of Shakespeare's lesser-known comedies. Written around 1597, it was first published in 1602. Because the play centers on Falstaff, one of Shakespeare's most famous characters, who originally appeared in Henry IV, Part 1, the play is meant to be set around the turn of the 15th century, during either the rule of King Henry IV or King Henry V. However, the play does not do much to establish this time period, and in many respects is quite consistent with the customs and technologies of Elizabethan England (the era in which Shakespeare lived). It is said that the play was written at the request of Queen Elizabeth I, who, after seeing Falstaff in King Henry...
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