| Merry Wives of Windsor - William Shakespeare Legend has it that the Queen herself commissioned the writing of this play, saying she wished to see a comedy in which Falstaff, her favorite character from the histories, falls in love. Shakespeare, naturally, did a masterful job, crafting not only a comedy with plenty of belly laughs in it (literally), but also a play about women in power for the ultimate woman in power. I saw this play performed recently and it brought home to me how much it really is about the character of Mrs. Hood. She is written to be a sexually powerful, or powerfully sexual, character. Powerful enough to justify her husband's jealousy despite her trustworthiness -- for if we are to receive him as one of the "good guys", we must be able to sympathize with him. Powerful enough to justify Falstaff's return again and again. He is a fool, but a lovable fool, so again we need to be able to sympathize. This is not Britney Spears sexuality. This is Mae West/Marilyn Monroe sexuality. The kind where she could be doing the most vulgar thing -- eating a cheeseburger, for instance -- and the men around her are still aroused. And she is in full control of it, even as it causes chaos in the men around her. If an actress can bring this to the role, this play sings, it swings, it sparkles and flies. If this is missing, if she is simply a normal woman, the counterpart of Mrs. Whatever, the jokes are strained, the pacing slow and the whole thing feels a bit washed up. |