Falstaff en Henry draaien de rollen om 1785

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki made this etching, “Falstaff en Henry draaien de rollen om”, its date unknown. The scene depicts a moment of role reversal between the characters Falstaff and Prince Henry from Shakespeare’s Henry IV. Produced in the late 18th century, a time of growing interest in Shakespeare throughout Europe, this work reflects the increasing cultural exchange and the elevation of Shakespeare as a literary icon. Chodowiecki, a German artist, engaged with English literature, illustrating the broader phenomenon of the Enlightenment era. This was a period when intellectual and artistic boundaries were expanding and the consumption and interpretation of literature played a significant role in shaping cultural identities. To understand this work better, it would be useful to explore the history of Shakespeare's reception in Europe and the role of visual arts in popularizing literary works.