Fidelio and Falstaff are two operas written by Ludwig van Beethoven and Giuseppe Verdi, respectively. Fidelio is a German opera composed in 1805 and is based on a French play by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly. It tells the story of a woman who disguises herself as a man to rescue her husband from prison. Falstaff is an Italian opera composed in 1893 and is based on William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. It follows the story of Sir John Falstaff, a fat knight who attempts to seduce two married women. Both operas have been performed around the world and remain popular today.