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ratings: ★★★★☆ (4/5
Genre: Drama / Comedy / Farce

Book Review:
If you love Falstaff from the Henry IV plays, you have to see what happens when Shakespeare plops him down in the middle of a cheerful English town and lets the local women get their revenge. ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' is pure, unapologetic farce. Falstaff, broke and desperate, decides to seduce two wealthy wives. They find out, and the fun begins. They trick him, humiliate him, stuff him in a laundry basket, and dump him in the river. It's hilarious, physical comedy. But what makes the play so great is the wives themselves. Mistress Page and Mistress Ford are smart, resourceful, and utterly in control. They're not just the butt of jokes; they're the ones making the jokes. It's a refreshingly modern take on female friendship and solidarity. Not the deepest of Shakespeare's plays, but one of the most fun. A perfect introduction to his comedies. This Cambridge edition is great, with notes that help explain the humor.