The merry wives of Windsor

	Mr. William Shakespeare presents "The merry wives of Windsor" to the third grade A (Solfanelli - Chieti)

The birth of the story

Stratford upon Avon Shakespeare's Birthplace

My relationship with Shakespeare dates back to my time at the Liceo Scientifico in Imperia. The English Language teacher was able to interest us in English literature and, in particular, in William Shakespeare. I read many of his works. Later, when I moved to Turin for work, I wrote theatre criticism for a periodical on the shows organised by the Stabile at the Carignano and at the Gobetti. During the three years I lived in Oxford I visited Stratford upon Avon many times, the city and birthplace of Shakespeare, and I also took my nephews there trying to motivate them to love Shakespeare.

It is no coincidence that the book I am presenting at the 2024 Turin Book Fair is set in Stratford, precisely on the delightful banks of the Avon, where William Shakespeare presents the Merry Wives to the schoolchildren. For me, working on Shakespeare (sorry for the ugly and overused expression) is truly something magical: a continuous discovery, as if I were digging deep into a mine, always finding new treasures of life and art. But perhaps, it is simply discovering the facets of humanity and of myself.

A narrow boat moored on the banks of the Avon

William Shakespeare at the Castle
of the Stone

I wandered through the rooms of Shakespeare’s supposed birthplace and wondered what could be done to bring children closer to his works. So I was inspired to write “William Shakespeare at the Castello della Pietra”, set, as if by chance, at the Castello di Vobbia. The book met with a certain favor and was also read by a publisher from Chieti, Marco Solfanelli, for whom I had written essays on Russian authors, particularly from the Decembrist period. Solfanelli proposed that I adapt some of Shakespeare’s works for children for a new theater series. I immediately declined, arguing that there are thousands of adaptations around the world and that one more was completely useless. He told me to think about it.

Marco looked at it carefully then told me that it would not be bad to propose Shakespeare's works by reworking them for young readers. There and then I was perplexed; I replied that in the world there are hundreds of shakespearean editions adapted for children, some deserving, others unfortunately wretched and that there was no need to put one more in circulation. No, it wouldn't be bad at all, Marco insisted convinced.

This is how my books were born: Julius Caesar, King Lear, now The Merry Wives of Windsor. The development and critical analysis of the works arise from the questions of the boys and girls of an imaginary IIIA high school. They are the ones who update and contextualize the work in a vision of modernity and temporal updating. For example, in King Lear we talk about Artemisia Gentileschi and her unfortunate story of violence. In The Merry Wives we talk about parental relationships and feminism…

Artemisia Gentileschi self portrait

Falstaff in the basket Heinrich Füssli 1792

I like to remember that the comedy of the merry wives was panned by literary critics (the most important Shakespeare critic Andrew Bradley called it horrible) and perhaps from a scenic/theatrical point of view it is true but, from a sociological point of view, it is a masterpiece: a cruel and merciless observation of seventeenth-century society. Perhaps it is true that it was Queen Elizabeth herself who requested it from Shakespeare, and perhaps she even laughed, because the comedy is apparently humorous but, behind the surface of the smile, Shakespeare delivers endless blows and society comes out in pieces. There is really little to be happy about. The terrible class of IIIA discovers all this, recognizes its timelessness and punctually updates it with its observations.

I remember that William Shakespeare at the Castello della Pietra together with Julius Caesar and King Lear were presented at the Liceo Scientifico in Novi Ligure with great satisfaction from the students and teachers. Shakespeare certainly still manages to fascinate young people. It is just a matter of making him known closely for what he is: a genius who knows no time.