Why did Giuseppe Verdi stop composing operas for 16 years after Aida?

After the premiere of Aida in 1871, Giuseppe Verdi effectively retired to his country villa. Although he remained musically active during this period, he did not compose any new operas for 16 years.12

His return to the operatic stage was not due to a personal desire to compose, but rather because he was coaxed by his publisher, Giulio Ricordi. Ricordi was anxious to provide a boost to Italian opera, which he felt was being threatened by the transformative influence of the German composer Richard Wagner. This encouragement eventually led Verdi to collaborate with the poet and composer Arrigo Boito on his late masterpiece, Otello, which premiered in 1887.12