Falstaff

Faced with his precarious financial situation and convinced of his virility, Sir John Falstaff tries to woo two wealthy women—Alice Ford and Meg Page—simultaneously, with two identical love letters. Unfortunately for him, the two friends discern Falstaff’s motives and decide to teach him a lesson …

The impermanence of man has shaped Western culture: Both our search for meaning and joie de vivre originate and end in mortality. In this respect, it is both surprising and not surprising that Verdi ended his career as an opera composer with Falstaff. To this day, his second comic opera ever is a milestone of the genre, paving the way for works such as Gianni Schicchi or Der Rosenkavalier. In the hands of Verdi and his librettist Arrigo Boito, the character Falstaff, derived from Shakespeare's drama Henry IV and his comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor, embodies the contradictions of human existence: joie de vivre and melancholy, pragmatism and bravado, unbridled pleasure and philosophical musing.