The Merry Wives of Windsor – A. J. Drake's Shakespeare Site

Questions on
Shakespeare’s Comedies

Shakespeare, William. The Merry Wives of Windsor. Folio. (The Norton Shakespeare: Comedies, 3rd ed. 602-59.)

ACT 1

1. In Act 1, Scene 1, what is Justice Robert Shallow’s complaint against Sir John Falstaff, and what does he seem determined to do about it? How do Windsor’s local parson and schoolmaster Sir Hugh Evans and respectable citizen Master Page initially try to help Shallow resolve his quarrel with Falstaff?

2. In Act 1, Scene 1, describe the interaction between Shallow and Falstaff when the two finally come face to face outside Master Page’s residence. When confronted with the charges, how does Falstaff defend himself? What effect does Sir John’s blustering have on Shallow and his supporters?

3. In Act 1, Scene 1, what is Master Slender’s complaint against Falstaff’s companions Bardolph, Pistol, and Nym? What did they supposedly do to him? How do they, in turn, answer to Slender’s heated accusation?

4. In Act 1, Scenes 1-2, Sir Hugh Evans and Justice Shallow encourage Master Slender to pay court to Mistress Anne Page, the eminently marriageable young daughter of Master and Mistress Page. How does Slender answer their encouragement—what does he seem to think of marriage generally, and this proposed one in particular? When he actually meets Anne Page, how does the meeting go? Does Slender seem like “marriage material,” or not?

5. In Act 1, Scene 3, what kind of Sir John Falstaff greets us at the Garter Inn? If you are familiar with the two Henry IV plays, to what extent does he differ from those plays’ representation of Falstaff? Or in any case, what is it about the current portrayal that makes him seem less than wholesome in his bearing and behavior? What is his plan to improve his fortunes during his stay in Windsor?

6. In Act 1, Scene 3, how does Sir John Falstaff treat his associates Bardolph, Pistol, and Nym? Why do the latter two associates reject his orders, and how does Falstaff react to this rejection? What plan do Pistol and Nym incubate to get back at him for the insult they have been given?

7. In Act 1, Scene 4, what kind of character is established for Mistress Quickly by her statements to the men who appear in this scene? In what capacity does she work for Dr. Caius, and what is her interest in Anne Page and the marriage suits and proposals that are now coming her way? Why is Caius so upset when he catches Slender’s servant Simple hiding in his home, and what does he do to set up his payback against Sir Hugh Evans, the parson who sent Simple to deliver a message on behalf of Master Slender?

8. By the end of Act 1, Scene 4, what kind of place is Windsor? Of what station in life do its inhabitants mostly seem to be? What value system can be conjured for it thus far, based on what we have seen in the first act? (A few facts: Windsor is a Berkshire County town west of London, on the Thames River’s south bank across from Eton; its population today is about 30,000, and of course it’s famous for the Royal residence, Windsor Castle).

ACT 2

9. In Act 2, Scene 1, Pistol and Nim inform on Falstaff to Masters Ford and Page about his plan to seduce their wives. What is the attitude of these two men, Ford and Page, regarding the information they receive? What basic difference between them is thereby established? How does our sense of this difference deepen by the end of Act 2, Scene 1?

10. In Act 2, Scene 1, what are the contents of the identical letter that Falstaff sends separately to Mistress Ford and Mistress Page? How do the two women react to the contents and to the fact that the letter each received is exactly the same? What “payback” plan do they begin to form right away, and what connection do they strike up with Mistress Quickly in the service of this plan?

11. In Act 2, Scene 1, the Host of the Garter extends an invitation to Justice Shallow and Masters Ford and Page to go and witness the duel between the Welshman Sir Hugh Evans and the French Dr. Caius. Where do things stand with regard to that supposedly imminent event? What does the Host appear to be up to at this point?

12. In Act 2, Scene 2, what is the cause of the quarrel between Pistol and Falstaff? Why does Pistol, hothead though he is, relent without too much trouble? In the course of hashing out this dispute, what does Falstaff reveal about his present circumstances in Windsor, and what’s more, about his self-image as a lodger at the Garter Inn?

13. In Act 2, Scene 2, Mistress Quickly pays Falstaff a visit that both exasperates him and brings him joy. What news does she have for Sir John—how, at least in her telling, have Mistresses Ford and Page supposedly responded to his shocking “indecent proposal” in the letters he sent them? How does Sir John react when he receives this news—is he overjoyed, or is his reaction more complicated than that? Explain.

14. In Act 2, Scene 2, Master Ford pays Falstaff a visit disguised as one Master Broom, who professes to be a suitor to Mistress Ford, whom he describes as impossible to suborn. What offer does he set before Falstaff, and how does Falstaff respond to that offer? What is the disguised Master Ford really up to here—what will he do if, in fact, Falstaff succeeds? When alone, what does he say about the things he has just learned from Falstaff concerning the alleged conduct of Mistress Ford?

15. In Act 2, Scene 3, what is the present state of the quarrel between Sir Hugh Evans and Dr. Caius? What roles do the Host of the Garter, Justice Shallow, and Master Page play in this unfolding event? Alone, what does the Host offer Caius to try to get him to relent? On the whole, what structural and/or thematic purpose is this “duel subplot” serving in The Merry Wives of Windsor?

ACT 3

16. In Act 3, Scene 1, Dr. Caius and Sir Hugh Evans bluster about how seriously they take their quarrel, but what seem to be their real feelings about this potentially violent event? How can we tell? How does the duel turn out, and why does the Host of the Garter end up on the wrong side of the reconciled quarrelers?

17. In Act 3, Scene 2, why is Master Ford so determined to move forward with his plan to expose his own wife as an adulteress and Falstaff as her lover? How does he think it will benefit him? How does he go about making it happen—what is the immediate plan?

18. In Act 3, Scene 3, Falstaff visits Mistress Ford to follow through on his seduction attempt. How does the first part of this meeting between them go? What words and gestures does Falstaff use to try to win Mistress Ford over? How does she lead him on?

19. In Act 3, Scene 3, what chaos breaks loose when Mistress Page rushes onto the scene by prearrangement with her sister conspirator, declaring that Master Ford is on his way home? Describe the succeeding events in the Ford household as a kind of farce: what ridiculous things happen in what order, and what’s the outcome of it all for Falstaff, Mistress Ford, and Master Ford? What will Mistress Ford and Mistress Page do next?

20. In Act 3, Scene 4, how does Slender acquit himself as Anne’s suitor? What does he actually appear to think about the prospect of marriage? Contrast his style of “wooing” with that of Master Fenton. How does the latter show that he is more capable and serious than Slender or, for that matter, the irascible Dr. Caius? How does Mistress Page, Anne’s mother, treat Fenton?

21. In Act 3, Scene 4, how is Dr. Caius’s employee Mistress Quickly doing for herself as a go-between for the various suitors? What advantage does she get from “helping” them pursue their objectives? What seem to be her own intentions toward Anne? Is she on the young woman’s side, or does she not concern herself with the moral dimension of her role?

22. In Act 3, Scene 5, what is Falstaff’s state of mind after he has been thoroughly tricked by Mistress Ford and Mistress Page? Since he obviously hasn’t figured out what really happened, what does he apparently believe to be the cause of his failure, and how does he view his present situation? How does Mistress Quickly succeed in getting Falstaff to make a second attempt when the first one went so madly wrong?

23. In Act 3, Scene 5, how does Falstaff explain his predicament to “Master Broom” (i.e. Master Ford in disguise)? What does the Knight say happened to him, and what does he promise “Master Broom”? When the latter is alone once more, how does he sum up the situation in which he now finds himself? How does he envision the outcome of his next attempt to expose his wife and Falstaff?

ACT 4

24. In Act 4, Scene 1, on her way to an encore performance at Master Ford’s residence, where Falstaff has arrived again to court Mistress Ford, Mistress Page has a short talk with Sir Hugh Evans about her little son’s progress in Latin? Given that most of Shakespeare’s audience probably didn’t know much or indeed any Latin (though some certainly did), what makes this scene humorous? What special delight might it have held for Shakespeare himself, based on his upbringing in Stratford-upon-Avon as a lad in the 1570s?

25. In Act 4, Scene 2, how do Mistress Ford and Mistress Page drive Falstaff into a panic again? What means do they devise this time for Sir John to betake himself from the property without discovery? In the midst of this bustling escape, what principle about female chastity (often treated as the equivalent of male honor) does Mistress Page enunciate? How is this principle put into action in a way that deftly humiliates Master Ford for his insanely jealous behavior?

26. In Act 4, Scene 2, how does Mistress Ford and Mistress Page’s jest yet again result in the raucous discomfiture of one Sir John Falstaff, would-be seducer of virtuous married ladies? Now that they have succeeded for the second time, what do they decide should be their next move against the knight? Why do they think this last act, so to speak, is necessary?

27. In Act 4, Scene 4, in what way is Master Ford a changed man, and why so? What is the final humiliation of Sir John Falstaff that most of the men and women in the play will join together to bring about? What are the main features of this farcical, if rather Gothic-seeming, plot based on local legend, and what symbolic punch does it pack in connection to the play’s constant theme of the threat of “cuckoldry”?

28. In Act 4, Scene 4, in the midst of the wild community-based plot against Falstaff, what other plans are now set in the minds of Master and Mistress Page, respectively, regarding the marriage of their daughter to the man of their choice? Which suitor does each separately prefer, and why?

29. In Act 4, Scene 5, what state of mind is Falstaff in, now that his hopes for sexual and financial advancement have been crushed yet a second time? How does he incorporate the language of religion into his self-description? What seems to be Mistress Quickly’s strategy for bringing Sir John around for yet a third attempt, incredible as that may seem?

30. In Act 4, Scene 6, how does Master Fenton take advantage of the Host of the Garter’s distress at losing his horses to thieves? What does Fenton ask the Host to do for him and Anne Page? What is his plan to elope with her right in front of her parents?

ACT 5

31. In Act 5, Scene 1, what motivates Falstaff at this late hour to return to the field of battle, so to speak, for yet a third time? How does he describe the cumulative effect on him of what has happened thus far, and how much hope does he have of finally gaining the victory over the targets of his seduction attempt and, of course, over Master Ford?

32. In Act 5, Scenes 2-4, what progress is being made toward the joke that the community of Windsor is preparing to spring on the miserable but determined Sir John? What is happening, too, regarding the Pages’ plans to marry their daughter to the man each thinks is best for her?

33. In Act 5, Scene 5, Falstaff (dressed as a large, horned stag in line with the local legend of Herne the Hunter) enters the woods and there meets Mistress Ford and Mistress Page, where he hopes to seduce both of them at once. How does his interaction, and the scene as a whole, play out for him, yet again resulting in his complete defeat and humiliation? In what sense is the punishment, though comical, also in a sense harsher than it was the first few times? Explain.

34. In Act 5, Scene 5, describe the traditional comic “happy ending” that encompasses not only the community of Windsor once their joke has run its course but also the rascal Sir John Falstaff, who has confessed both his guilt and his dejection, and been absolved of any serious punishment. Aside from having to repay “Master Broom” the money he stole, why is Falstaff forgiven instead of run out of town for his palpable and indefensible misconduct?

35. In Act 5, Scene 5, how does Master Fenton and Anne’s elopement come off? How do Anne’s parents react when they realize they have been beaten at their own game? What point about marriage is Master Fenton determined to get across before they all go off to enjoy the momentous evening? How does Shakespeare deftly tie the two plot elements together by the play’s end?

36. General question: What perspective on English middle-class life in Windsor do the antics of the Fords and the Pages—respectable, well-to-do ladies and gentlemen all—give us? Judging from the hilarious plotting, the attitudes and abilities on display, and the happy outcome that graces the play’s conclusion, what values might be said to animate the town?

37. General question: The Merry Wives of Windsor is clearly concerned with the institution of marriage and, more broadly, with relations between men and women. What kind and quality of reflection does it offer us about both of these important concerns? What role does the traditional barb or motif of “cuckoldry” (i.e., the state of being a deceived husband) play in Shakespeare’s exploration of these themes?

Edition. Greenblatt, Stephen et al., editors. The Norton Shakespeare: Comedies + Digital Edition. 3rd ed. W. W. Norton, 2016. ISBN-13: 978-0-393-93861-6.