Building on this, Shakespeare places hospitality above display. In many of his plays, from *The Merry Wives of Windsor* to *The Taming of the Shrew*, feasts appear as settings where relationships are tested and revealed. What determines their success is rarely the menu; rather, it is how hosts treat their guests. A generous welcome—genuine smiles, attentive listening, and a sense that each person matters—turns even a humble table into a place of delight. By contrast, lavish banquets without kindness often feel hollow, underscoring that emotional nourishment outshines material excess. [...]
