(The play) was kind of a joke on the middle class and a joke on foreigners. |
From Queen Elizabeth, who had her own box, to the street cleaners. |
He had some 2,600. The only way he could have that many was to invent a bunch of them. |
Queen Elizabeth liked Falstaff's character so much that she sent word that she'd like to see more of Falstaff. Shakespeare was one of the first to be obliged to resurrect a character. |
Shakespeare's heroines are generally quite bold. His women were women of character ? that would appeal to Elizabeth as well because she was certainly a feminist. |
The two women positively enjoy punishing the portly knight for his audacity as they deal with an insanely jealous husband, a rebellious daughter, a warlike French doctor, a nosy Welch clergyman and all the other denizens of their Windsor community. |
There were jokes because of all those people in the pits with their onions and canisters of beer who could chuck them at you. |
They have money, education and are fixated upon copying their ?betters' ? those of the nobility. |
This is one of the easier comedies to understand. |