Title Page for the 1602 Quarto of The Merry Wives of Windsor.

This elaborately descriptive title page distinguishes the various kinds of comic characters which Shakespeare deploys in this play, perhaps his most realistic prose comedy. Note that the established comic celebrity of Falstaff has priority over the lively Wives who outwit him, and that their comedy is distinguished from that of "humor" characters (see the Jonson segment at Gallery 10.7.c. Image 2) and other stereotypes like the "braggart soldier" Pistol (see relevant video clip). Note the partial corroboration of Queen Elizabeth's supposed interest in the play (which she may have commissioned, "to see Falstaff in love"). Courtesy of the Yorck Project, under GNU Free Document License.