Falstaff is a corpulent, frequently inebriated old man in this comedy, but that does not stop him from trying to seduce the married ladies of Windsor. He fancies himself a dandy and is overambitious in his simultaneous overtures to two wives.

They entertain him — while laughing behind his back — and plot his comeuppance.

There are subplots and hijinks in this comedy, but once in a while your heart goes out to old Falstaff, that beloved Shakespearean character.

Musicians and opera aficionados admire this Verdian masterpiece above all for its original approach to the music. Even though Verdi himself was an old man at this point — it would be his last opera — he was still entering upon new horizons in musical composition, and still a master.