The Merry Wives of Windsor
Merry Wives of Windsor, TheShakespeare's only comedy set in his homeland (with the exception of the Induction to The Taming of the Shrew), and his closest to the mainstream tradition of English farce, may also be his only play composed for a specific state occasion. According to a tradition first recorded by John Dennis in 1702, the play was personally commissioned by Queen Elizabeth, who, added Rowe in 1709, particularly wished to see Falstaff in love. This unlikely piece of hearsay may have a kernel of truth, in that the play's last act alludes to the ceremonies of the Order of the Garter, to which Shakespeare's patron George Carey, Lord Hunsdon, the Lord Chamberlain, was admitted at Windsor early in 1597. These ceremonies were followed by a Garter Feast at the Palace of Westminster on St George's Day, 23 April, attended by the Queen, and the play's topical references to the Order of the Garter suggest that The Merry Wives of Windsor may have...
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