The Consistency of the Context: Texts and Contexts of the Merry Wives of Windsor

Abstract

F alstaff plays such a prominent role in 1 and 2 Henry IV and the Merry Wives of Windsor, that one might call the plays a “Falstaff Trilogy.” His popularity with audiences led to a promise at the end of 2 Henry IV that he would reappear in Henry V. However, when reading the texts of this “trilogy,” loose ends abound. Inconsistencies exist in time, place, and characters, especially when attempting to place Merry Wives within the textual framework of 1 and 2 Henry IV.