The Merry Wives of Windsor Audiobook By William Shakespeare cover art

The Merry Wives of Windsor

Arkangel Shakespeare

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The Merry Wives of Windsor

By: William Shakespeare
Narrated by: Dinsdale Landen, Sylvestra Le Touzel, Penny Downie, Nicholas Woodeson, Phillip Jackson, Clive Swift
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It is said that Queen Elizabeth gave Shakespeare two weeks to write this play that showcases her favorite comedic character, Sir John Falstaff.

The dissolute Falstaff plans to seduce Mistress Ford and Mistress Page, two "Merry Wives of Windsor," there by gaining access to their husbands' wealth. The two women have the old rogue's measure, however, and Falstaff's plots lead only to his own humiliation. But the merry wives themselves fall prey to plotting as their plans to prevent Mistress Page's daughter Anne from marrying the young man she loves are frustrated in their turn.

Dinsdale Landen is Falstaff. Sylvestra Le Touzel plays Mistress Ford and Penny Downie is Mistress Page. Nicholas Woodeson is Ford, Phillip Jackson is Page, and Clive Swift plays Justice Shallow.

Public Domain (P)2014 Blackstone Audio Drama & Plays Shakespeare
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I could not stop listening. Great characters, excellent acting, and the music was an added bonus.

So much fun!

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I loved the background noises and music. The voices were easy to tell the difference between the characters. I followed along in a script as I listened. What a fool Falstaff was. But each character showed their own foolery. And just like them, we each have our own foolish behaviors too. May we learn from their foolishness to not follow that same path.

Entertaining

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As always, Arkangel provides an excellent presentation of “Merry Wives of Windsor”. Hat tip to these guys!

great!

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Where does The Merry Wives of Windsor rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 15, ArkAngel is always well done.

What did you like best about this story?

Love that a lesser known play gets the appreciation it deserves.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

I enjoyed Meg Page by Penny Downie was my favorite.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

At times I did laugh, never did I cry.

ArkAngel is always a wonderful interpretation

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I loved the lunacy. Just thought Falstaff could have been more . . . Falstaff. Still he was good.

Super fun performance

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Meh. Not my favorite. There were a few good lines and obviously any book with Sir. John Falstaff deserves an extra star (so ⋆⋆ + Falstaff = ⋆⋆⋆). As a whole I didn't like it. It felt cheap and a bit of a throw-away for a mature William Shakespeare, but I'm sure it played well for the dirty and unwashed. And, OK, to be honest there were some pretty fantastic lines. But mostly it felt like it belonged snuggled in a irreverent threesome next to The Comedy of Errors and The Taming of the Shrew. For me it was the Elizabethan equivalent of an Adam Sandler play. Obviously, THAT says as much about ME and my preferences as it does about these plays, but dear God let the pudgy lust and the dirty laundry melt off me tonight.

Best lines:

Here will be an old abusing of God's patience, and the King's English." (Act I, Scene 4)

“Why, then the world ’s mine oyster,
Which I with sword will open.” (Act II, Scene 2)

“I assure thee: setting the attractions of my
good parts aside I have no other charms.” (Act II, Scene 2)

"You may know by my size, that I have a kind of alacrity in sinking. " (Act III, Scene 5)

“I think the devil will not have me damned, lest the oil that's in me should set hell on fire.” (Act V, Scene 5)

We have some salt of our youth in us.

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