Primary sourceBook1599
The Merry Wives of Windsor
William Shakespeare · 1599
A comedy written by William Shakespeare, preserved here with an added scholarly appendix on its sources.
Shakespeare wrote this comedy, making it a primary text for studying his craft, with later scholarly notes on its possible sources.
About this source
What it is
This is a text of The Merry Wives of Windsor, a comedy written by William Shakespeare around 1599. This edition includes an appendix by a later editor discussing possible sources for the play's plot, including Italian and English stories.
Why it matters
The play is notable for owing little to any single known source, suggesting much of its plot was original to Shakespeare. The appendix shows how later scholars have tried to trace where his ideas may have come from.
Look closer
- Why might scholars be interested in finding the sources behind Shakespeare's plots?
- What does the appendix suggest about how original Shakespeare's comedy really was?
- How does added scholarly material change the way we read the original play?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of William Shakespeare on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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