『윈저의 즐거운 아내들』

The Merry Wives of Windsor: Falstaff's Doom and The Irony of Wives' Merriness

This paper purposes to examine the ironic vision in Merry Wives of Windsor, mainly focusing on the relation between Falstaff's doom and Windsor wives' merriness. In histories Falstaff is set up as an example of the outlaw, free spirit. But in this play he seems to be thrown "back to the future", and far less free. for his survival he tries to cozen Windsor bourgeois citizens. But his attempt doom to failure. On the other hand, thwarting Falstaff's attempt, wives pronounce that they are "merry and yet honest too". But their assertion of moral impunity proves to be false. Thus, in his defeat, Falstaff has become a scapegoat whose guilty nature is a reflection of vanities and pretensions of Windsor citizens. But Windsor citizens did not recognize that they share the guilt with the scapegoat they singled out mockery. As the follies are more concentrated in a scapegoat figure, the comedy moves toward rejection rather than integration. So the title of Merry Wives of Windsor is ironical or satirical.