THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR! The Dachshund Cartoon Players strike again — here's one of Shakespeare's silliest comedies presented in cartoons. Evidently this play was written because Queen Elizabeth wanted to see Falstaff in love, so here is Shakespeare's amusement for royals: Falstaff, the follies of love, ethnic stereotypes and uppity middle class people, all in one hilarious play.
As the good people of Windsor gather, Justice Shallow points out Anne Page to his wimpy nephew, Slender. She's the daughter of their generous hosts and the possessor of a substantial dowry — a good catch for any young man.
Shallow and Slender aren't the only ones concerned with finances. Falstaff has fallen on hard times and dismisses his followers Bardolph, Nym and Pistol, who are his old army buddies and partners in petty crime.
Falstaff decides that a career seducing wealthy wives would be less dangerous than robbing people, so he writes identical love letters to the Wives of Windsor, Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page.
Being good friends, Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page compare their letters. Incensed that Falstaff would write form seduction letters, they vow to take revenge.
Meanwhile Anne Page has also become the object of someone's affection. Dr. Caius (pronounced "Keys") a comic Frenchman, is smitten with the young lady. He pays Mistress Quickly, the housekeeper to "put in a good word" for him with Anne.
But Mistress Quickly is playing both sides of the fence, also accepting "brag bribes" from Fenton, a handsome young man, very much in love with Anne, but not in favour with Anne's father.
The Wives begin their revenge: Mrs. Ford sends Falstaff a letter proposing an assignation. Nym and Pistol, angry at being fired, tell Mr. Ford about the "date."
Horribly jealous, Ford disguises himself as "Mr. Brooke" and buys Falstaff a drink. He gets Falstaff to brag out all the details of the meeting. Ford plans to attend too.
The ladies have prepared a surprise of their own: as Falstaff gets romantic with Mrs. Ford, Mrs. Page rushes in saying that Ford is on his way home unexpectedly. Falstaff panics and dives into the laundry hamper to hide.
When Ford really does turn up, the ladies let him search. The laundry basket has been taken away in the meantime. Ford, feeling very foolish, apologizes to his wife and her friend.
The laundry workers struggle out with the basket and heave it into the Thames.
Falstaff gets soaked, but his ardor (and his ego) aren't dampened.
The ladies decide the episode was such fun that they send a second note to Falstaff, who brags to "Brooke" about it again.
This time, when Ford bursts in, in a fury, the ladies have Falstaff disguised in the clothes of a woman Ford detests.
Ford takes his anger out on the unwelcome "guest" by chasing "her" out of the house.
The Merry Wives can contain themselves no longer: they take their husbands into their confidence and all four plan a public humiliation of the old lecher.
They have Mrs. Ford write to Falstaff making a date to meet in Windsor Park forest. Falstaff is to be disguised as Herne the Hunter, a mythological figure, for a little added kinkiness.
The plan is that Anne and some others of the town (including the comic Welshman) dress as fairies, sprites and goblins and frighten the dickens (not a literary reference) out of Falstaff.
However, there are other plans afoot. Mr. Page has arranged for Slender, and Mrs. Page has arranged for Dr. Caius to kidnap and forcibly marry Anne while she is in the dark wood.
Falstaff goes to the wood, only to be terrified and tormented by the "fairies" that pinch and scorch him.
Then he's publicly humiliated by the Merry Wives and their now merry husbands.
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But what of the other plot? Slender and Dr. Caius search Windsor Park forest for Anne but she's nowhere to be found.
Anne returns, having taken the opportunity to elope with and be married to Fenton. So the play ends with everyone (except maybe Falstaff) having a good laugh at the follies done in the name of Love.
That's all, folks.
I do these cartoon versions of Shakespearean plays prior to taking my own students to see live theatre. The cartoons give them an idea of the plot of the play so they don't feel lost. After 10 minutes or so, the students catch on, enjoy the play, and my job of supervision becomes much easier.
Sorry I can't put the "mainstream" plays (Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Julius Caesar et al) on the Web. They are copyright to J. Weston Walch, Publisher and are available in SHAKESPEARE MADE EASY: AN ILLUSTRATED APPROACH.
Some other sites you might like to visit:
Mr William Shakespeare and the Internet
The Dachshund Circus
Dachshund Delights Badger Burrow
Bard on the Beach
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival
This site was prepared with help from Bill Kempthorne, Colin Welch, and Dale Halcrow, the Principal, who tolerates my obsessions. All I do is the dachshund and Shakespeare parts. I hope it helps you and your students or children to enjoy the Bard as much as I do.