Librettist: Arrigo Boito
Based on The Merry Wives of Windsor and King Henry IV
as translated by Giulio Carcano (Italian) and Victor Hugo (French).
Windsor, England; during the reign of Henry IV in the early 15th Century.
9th February, 1893; La Scala, Milan.
Sir John Falstaff is running out of money and looking for a quick fix. He sets his sights on Alice Ford and Meg Page. He writes letters to each and asks for a date. Alice and Meg receive the letters and discover them to be from the same author. Ford becomes involved when he assumes a disguise and visits Falstaff. Everyone plots to gain something from the action. Falstaff – the wealth of Ford; Ford – his wife's infidelity; and Alice – to teach her jealous husband and womanizing Falstaff a lesson or two.
Copyright © 1996, Stephen L. Parker