First version
Characters
characters derived from ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' are marked (MW); those from the Henry IV plays are marked (H.IV) *King Henry V *Duke of Gloucester *Duke of Bedford *Duke of Clarence *Duke of York *Duke of Exeter *Archbishop of Canterbury, *The Pope's Legate. *Lord Scroop of Masham. *The Earl of Cambridge. *Sir Thomas Grey. *Mithridate, a Doctor. *Plot
Smarting from his dismissal from Hal's presence, Falstaff meets up with Doll Tearsheet and Mistress Quickly, who have bribed their way free of jail. They are both shocked by what has happened. Lord Scroop and his accomplices plot against the new king. Scroop says that Henry's rejection of his old companions is proof of how hypocritical and untrustworthy he is. A Friar is asked to try to reform Falstaff. The Friar is told that the king's relationship with Poins' beautiful sister Eleanor has helped Poins escape the fate of the other former companions. The king has sent Eleanor to a nunnery, nominally to protect her. But he is disturbed to see her at his coronation. Shallow plots to get back the thousand pounds he lent to Falstaff. In the Boar's Head Tavern, Falstaff pours out his bitterness to Bardolph. Shallow consults lawyer Mr. Pleadwell, but is advised that legal attempts to get his money will fail. Falstaff, Doll, Bardolph and Quickly discuss what they will do for the future. Scroop visits Eleanor Poins and attempts to seduce her, but she rejects him. An Apothecary visits the dejected Falstaff but can do nothing for him; Falstaff only perks up when Bardolph tells him that his old fiancée Mistress Ursula has inherited money. He writes to her, telling her of his enduring love. The king discusses challenges to his power from the church and the French. Ursula discusses Falstaff's intentions with her maid Bridget. The Friar confronts Falstaff about his lifestyle. Falstaff says marriage will be his penance. The king angers church leaders when he refuses a demand from the Pope to change a law that requires parliamentary approval for some church financial matters. Scroop and the Papal Legate plot against him. Shallow, frustrated, determines to challenge Falstaff to a duel. Scroop and the Earl of Cambridge plan to kill Henry and place Edmund Mortimer on the throne. They think Falstaff is the man to do the deed, because of his known criminality and his grievance against Henry. Falstaff and Shallow meet for their duel. Falstaff beats Shallow, who is forced to concede he will never get back his money. The Friar learns from Eleanor of Scroop's behaviour. Scroop appears. He attempts to rape Eleanor, but is overpowered by the friars. He leaves. The Friar reveals to Eleanor that he has discovered Scroop's plot against the king. Having agreed to kill the king, Falstaff waits for him at Southampton with the Earl of Cambridge. He ponders his options as, unaware of the plot, his new wife expresses excitement at the thought of meeting the king. The king hears from the friars about the plot, but remains unsure of the truth. He allows Falstaff an audience. Falstaff produces a knife, but then offers it to the king and tells him of the plot. The king leaves to find the conspirators. Alone Falstaff says that he knew the conspirators intended to hang him after he'd killed the king. The conspirators arrive, but deny their guilt. Proof of their plan arrives, and they are led away. The king returns Falstaff to his favour. Falstaff says he is too old to join in the French war, and wishes only to retire - as long as the king will give him some more money. The king agrees.Second version
Characters
characters derived from ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' are marked (MW); those from the Henry IV plays are marked (H.IV) *Plot
Having been rejected by the new king Henry V, Falstaff and his cronies must find a new way to advance themselves. Doll Tearsheet and Mistress Quickly have bribed their way free of jail. Pistol tells Nym he intends to hide by using a false name. Falstaff still has the thousand pounds he borrowed from Shallow. Shallow consults Mr Pleadwell, a lawyer, about the money, but Pleadwell says that since no contract was drawn up for the loan, Shallow will have to rely on Falstaff's sense of honour. Shallow despairs of the money. At a fencing school, Pistol and Nym meet Shallow and Slender. Disguised as Spanish swordsman "Anticho del Pistolo", Pistol impresses Shallow with his swordsmanship. Convinced that he can use "Pistolo" against Falstaff, Shallow invites him and Nym to work for him. Nym has an idea that they can trick Shallow and Slender into believing that Doll and Quickly are two well-known wealthy women, whom they resemble. The women will then pretend to fall in love with the two squires, knowing that the greedy Shallow and Slender will seize the chance to marry them. Falstaff and Bardolph consult Dr Caius about Peto, who is very ill. Caius' track-record does not bode well for Peto. Bardolph informs Falstaff that Mistress Ursula, Falstaff's old fiancée, has come into money. Falstaff immediately plans to marry her at last. Doll and Quickly agree to Nym's plan. Meanwhile "Pistolo" sets out to woo Ursula for himself. Nym has already been pursuing her maid Bridget. Falstaff wins over Ursula, while Quickly and Doll adopt airs of demure gentility, convincing Shallow and Slender of their fake identities. Pistol attempts to impress Ursula, but is forced to flee when Falstaff approaches. A friar attempts to make Falstaff repent of his wayward ways with no success. Bardolph learns of Nym's deception plan. He informs Falstaff. Shallow challenges Falstaff to a duel, intending that "Pistolo" will do the fighting. Falstaff tries to get Bardolph to fight for him. When neither "Pistolo" nor Bardolph are willing to fight, the two old men are forced to fight the duel themselves. Shallow repeatedly stabs Falstaff but fails to penetrate his body, breaking his sword. Falstaff captures Shallow. He agrees to release him if he will say they are quits. When Shallow agrees, Falstaff tells him about Nym's marriage plot. The pair devise a plan to outwit the plotters. Shortly afterwards Pistol receives a letter, apparently from Ursula, saying that she wants to marry him rather than Falstaff. Bridget will marry Nym. By contriving that the marriage will be at a masquerade, Shallow and Slender manage to switch places with Pistol and Nym, who marry Quickly and Doll. Falstaff marries Ursula. The deceptions are revealed. Pistol, Quickly, Doll and Nym accept their fate, and Falstaff invites everyone to the marriage feast.Creation and productions
Kenrick was a well known commentator on Shakespeare in the 18th century, who took the common view at the time that Shakespeare's plays were only acceptable to modern audiences in heavily adapted versions.Stern, Tiffany, "Shakespeare in Drama", in Ritchie & Sabor (eds), ''Shakespeare in the Eighteenth Century'', Cambridge University Press, 19 Apr 2012, pp.141-61. ''Falstaff's Wedding'' contains very little directly derived from Shakespeare apart from a few phrases and the characters themselves. The ending of the second version, however, is a pastiche of the final scene of ''The Merry Wives of Windsor''. The play was one of several adaptations of Shakespeare centring on the character of Falstaff, but is "the most remarkable" of them according to critic Adam Hansen. Hansen describes the first version of the play as "an ingenious exploitation of some hints and inconsistencies in the Shakespearean original". In particular Kenrick picks up on the hint that Hal has a relationship with Poins' sister, who is portrayed in ''Falstaff's Wedding'' as the king's "quondam mistress". After the first version was published in 1760, Kenrick was encouraged to adapt it into a viable performance version. He wrote that, The revised version is almost a completely different play. Eleanor Poins and all the upper class characters are dropped, including the conspirators. Only a minority of scenes remain unchanged. A wholly new story centring on Nym's plans for Doll and Quickly was created. Thus the earlier version, described as a sequel to ''Henry IV, Part 2'', is mimicking the manner of theSignificance
Though not a major success, the play was very significant in the process of expanding the imaginary world created in Shakespeare's ''Henry IV'' plays, especially by creating the characters of Eleanor Poins and Mistress Ursula, both of whom are only mentioned in passing in the original. David A. Brewer refers to this as "detachability with a vengeance", in which characters take on a life of their own detached from the original dramatic context. The play represents Falstaff's cronies breaking out of their restricted roles. The play was an influence on James White's ''Falstaff's Letters'' (1796), originally entitled ''Original Letters, etc, of Sir John Falstaff and his friends''. White's friendReferences
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