Falstaff with Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page (Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 5, Scene 5)

Henry Fuseli|William Shakespeare

1790 · Pen and brown ink over faint graphite · Drawings and Prints

This rapidly drawn sketch conveys the essence of pose and gesture in a subject found near the end of Shakespeare’s play The Merry Wives of Windsor (act 5, scene 5). Believing himself irresistible, Sir John Falstaff has arranged a nighttime assignation with the canny housewives Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page in Windsor Great Park, not knowing that the two women are fully aware of his ungallant intentions and intend to publicly embarrass him. Townsfolk approach at lower right, their presence signaled by the backward glance of one of the women.

Artist

Henry Fuseli|William Shakespeare

Date

1790

Medium

Pen and brown ink over faint graphite

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Bequest of Harry G. Sperling, 1971