An Ideal Husband vs The Merry Wives of Windsor: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Promptbooks, English drama, Drama, Fiction
An Ideal Husband
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An Ideal Husband is an 1895 comedic stage play by Oscar Wilde which revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour. The action is set in London, in "the…
The Merry Wives of Windsor
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When Falstaff meets Mistresses Page and Ford, two married women said to control their own financial affairs, he writes identical love letters to each of them, never imagining that they will compare notes. When they do,…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate An Ideal Husband highest: An Ideal Husband 4.3 · The Merry Wives of Windsor 3.6.
- The Merry Wives of Windsor has the widest readership — 15008 ratings behind its score.
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Scores by source
| An Ideal Husband | The Merry Wives of Windsor | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 3.5 (15008) |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (80) | 3.1 (27) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (308) | 4.0 (18) |
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Reception
| An Ideal Husband | The Merry Wives of Windsor | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 308 | 15008 |
| Editions | 56 | 290 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 13896 |
| Written reviews | — | 1178 |
| Wikipedia attention | 4739 | 10541 |
| Pages | 116 | 158 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: An Ideal Husband or The Merry Wives of Windsor?
An Ideal Husband has the higher combined reader rating across sources (An Ideal Husband 4.3/5, The Merry Wives of Windsor 3.6/5).
Which is shorter to read: An Ideal Husband or The Merry Wives of Windsor?
An Ideal Husband is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: An Ideal Husband (116 pages, ≈ 2 h 09 m); The Merry Wives of Windsor (158 pages, ≈ 2 h 56 m).
Which is harder to read: An Ideal Husband or The Merry Wives of Windsor?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — An Ideal Husband: Demanding; The Merry Wives of Windsor: Demanding.