1597 - The Merry Wives of Windsor – “He hath studied her will, and translated her will, out of honesty into English.”

1597 - The Merry Wives of Windsor – “He hath studied her will, and translated her will, out of honesty into English.”

Shakespeare probably returned from Stratford after the Lenten holiday in 1597 having done considerable work on the New House. Besides purchasing huge quantities of stone, some for building and some for stone walls, he also seems to have had two large sheds built presumably for grain storage. This could be seen as the normal actions of a normal country lad who who had acquired new wealth, but the famine and grain shortages which ravaged southern England in 1597 make this action opportunistic at least and criminal at worst. Court records from a few years later actually mention Shakespeare's property so the authorities had concerns about William Shakespeare's and his wife Anne Hathaway's purchases. Let's see this merely as opportunism. So, just as Shakespeare's wealth had afforded him the opportunity to expand his prospects, his new found fame afforded him other artistic opportunities.

The front page of the first publication of ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ in 1602 gives the full title of the play as ‘The Most Pleasaunt and Excellent Conceited Comedie, of Syr John Flagstaffe, and the Merrie Wives of Windsor’. On the same cover it later states that this play has been performed “…both before her Maiestie, and else-where.” This is important and helps to date the first performance probably at Windsor Castle itself perhaps at the ceremony of the investiture of knights into the Order of the Garter in late April or early May of 1597. It could have been performed as a commissioned play and its satirical style, where eventually the merry wives of Windsor win out, would have proved popular with an aging Elizabeth I.

The play starts on the streets of Windsor where Justice Shallow walks with Master Slender and Sir Hugh Evans (a man of the church). He wants to bring Sir John Falstaff before the court because of a number of grievances. Evans says that the more pressing matter is that they attempt to try to make a marriage match between Master Slender and Mistress Anne Page. They arrive at the Page house and Master Page greets them thanking them for the venison that Shallow sent. They enquire whether Falstaff is inside the house and when they hear he is, Shallow begins to bemoan the fact that Falstaff has wronged him in a number of ways.

Then Falstaff enters followed by his cronies Bardolph, Nim, and Pistol. When Shallow confronts Falstaff with the charge of slaughtering Shallow’s deer and attacking his men, Falstaff doesn’t deny it. Accusations then fall on Falstaff’s men for stealing Slender’s money purse but they deny it claiming that Slender was too drunk on the occasion to remember anything. Slender claims he will not drink again with men such as these. When Anne Page enters she serve wine to the men and we see the object of Slender’s, and many other men’s, desires.

They all go inside except for Slender who sits alone, When Shallow and Evans re-enter, Evans infers that he has already brought up the matter of Slender’s desire to marry Anne with Master Page. When Shallow asks whether there is great love between them, Slender suggests:

“… if there be no great love in the beginning,

yet heaven may decrease it upon better acquaintance,

when we are married and have more occasion to know one another;

I hope, upon familiarity will grow more contempt:

but if you say, 'Marry her,' I will marry her; that

I am freely dissolved, and dissolutely.”

Just then, Anne re-enters to announce dinner. Slender will not go in and he awkwardly tries to make conversation with Anne. Page comes to see what is happening. Slender says he is not hungry but eventually he concedes to go inside. Soon after that, Evans, realizing that Slender is not doing well in the game of love, comes out and gets Simple to go to Doctor Caius's house to give a letter to Mistress Quickly requesting that she helps by convincing Ann Page that Slender would make a good marriage match. 

We then move on to the Garter Inn (which was real inn in Shakespeare’s time) and the place where he probably put the final touches on this play. Falstaff enters with Bardolph, Nim, and Pistol. Falstaff makes an agreement with the innkeeper for lodging which includes Bardolph working as a barman then Flagstaff reveals his plan to seduce Mistress Ford. He wants to do this not just because he thinks Mistress Ford likes him but also because she controls her husband’s money. Being very generous with his affections and machinations , he also reveals that he would like to woo Mistress Ford as well, who also happens to control her husband’s money. Flagstaff then brings out two letters which he has written. One is addressed to Mistress Ford and the other to Mistress Page. Pistol and Nim refuse to deliver the letters, and even decide that they will reveal the deceptive plan to Mistress Ford and Mistress Page – the merry wives of Windsor.

If you think this is confusing, then at least we come back to the original plot of Slender’s desire to marry Anne Page. We are at Doctor Caius’ house, although after a brief introduction to him, he leaves. Mistress Quickly then listens to Simple explains what Mr Evans wants and Mistress Quickly decides that she will suggest to Anne Page that Slender would make an ideal husband for her.

Doctor Caius re-enters and Simple is hidden by Mistress Quickly in a closet. Of course Caius opens the closet and finds Simple. The reason for him being there is loosely explained but Caius is still upset and it is revealed that Caius is also in love with Anne Page. Caius writes a letter to challenge Evans to a duel. Mistress Quickly is chastised for involving herself and Caius declares that he knows Anne loves him. Mistress Quickly reveals to the audience that she knows Anne’s mind and she probably doesn’t love either of these suitors. When Fenton enters and declares that Anne really loves him, Mistress Quickly knows that things are about to get complicated.

‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ Act 2 – “...if money go before, all ways do lie open.”

Either Shakespeare had actually seen or read a number of Commedia dell’arte scenes or he had heard enough to try his hand at creating a truly English version of commedia with archetypes to match. In this act of ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ we see an intrigue of plots, gross deceptions, disguises, characters with over-inflated senses of their own self worth, fights that don’t take place, mocking of accents and people, and all the hallmarks of an Italian comedy but as set in Windsor in England.

Falstaff’s love letters have arrived and Mistress Page reads her letter in amazement at Falstaff thinking to woo her away from her husband. When Mistress Ford arrives with a love letter also from Falstaff, they swap letters and find out that he has sent them the same letter. They are incredulous for many reasons and decide they will entice Falstaff to continue his advances and make him pay for his affections until he has to even pawn his horses to pay to continue to woo them.

Pistol reveals to Ford that Falstaff is attempting to woo his wife. Ford believes his wife has probably done something to entice Falstaff. Then Nim comes to Page and tells him that Falstaff is trying to seduce his wife. Page is upset and fears that he will lose his wife’s affections.

After Mistress Ford and Mistress Page talk to their husbands (but not about the letters they received), they realize that they can use Mistress Quickly as someone to carry messages to Falstaff to start their plan to bring him down. They go inside to start their machinations.

Meanwhile, Ford and Page talk of all they were told. Ford re-interates that his own wife is not to be trusted forges a plan to find where his wife’s true affections lie. Enter the Host of the Garter, who has come to invite Ford and Page to witness the fight for honor between Evans and Caius. Ford decides what he must do. He secretly asks the Host to introduce him to Falstaff (who has never met Ford) as Brook and offers the Host money to do so. All is agreed and most go off to see the fight while Ford reveals to the audience that he will also disguise himself to catch Falstaff out and find out if his wife is cheating on him.

Serendipity falls on Falstaff, or at least he thinks so. While drinking at his lodgings at the Garter Inn, Pistol refuses to loan Falstaff any more money. Mistress Quickly enters and after being well rehearsed by Mistress Ford and Mistress page, tells Falstaff of the affection of both women for him and mentions that Mistress Ford’s husband will be out between 10 and 11 tomorrow and that Mistress Page’s husband is seldom home. Falstaff thinks his charms have worked and sends word to meet both women the next day.

Enter Ford (disguised as Brooke) who praises Falstaff for the power he seems to have over women and who offers to pay Falstaff to seduce Mistress Ford (who Ford disguised as Brooke claims he has long admired). Falstaff must think by now that the Gods are smiling on him since Brooke also offers to pay for all the expenses. Falstaff mentions that the seduction will be easy because he has already arranged to meet Ford’s wife tomorrow. Brooke asks whether Falstaff has ever met or knows Ford but Falstaff claims he does not know the man (even though he seems able to still put Ford down). As Falstaff leaves, Ford bemoans his wife’s lack of virtue in arranging to already meet Falstaff and he declares he will be avenged when he catches both his wife and Falstaff out the very next day.

On the field, people arrive for the fight with one problem, Evans seems to be not attending his own fight. Shallow thinks Evans is smart for not arriving since:

“He is the wiser man, master doctor: he is a curer of

souls, and you a curer of bodies; if you should

fight, you go against the hair of your professions.”

The Host insults Cauis and generally insults Cauis’ accent and manner but agrees to bring Cauis to a farmhouse so that he can see and meet with Anne and attempt to woo her. 

Merry Wives of Windsor Act 3 – “Have I lived to be carried in a basket, like a barrow of butcher's offal, and to be thrown in the Thames?”

The short answer to this question voiced by Falstaff is … Yes. But I am getting ahead of myself since this act sees the building of both the plot concerning the undermining and general derision of Falstaff and the complications faced by Anne Page’s many suitors. The comedy of this act reminds me of great program by Rowan Atkinson done during the 1990’s called ‘A Lecture on Physical Comedy’. In this program, he says that physical comedy depends on changes in status, sudden appearances and disappearances and the use of objects and people that are the wrong size. The comic report card of Act 3 of ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ ticks all these boxes.

Simples’ directions to Evans to find Caius are very complicated for a man named Simple. So Evans decides to sit down and feed his melancholy with poetry (a diet assured to increase melancholy before the tasting of a single sonnet). Caius is lead in by The Host (whose sense of direction is better than his sense of tact). It seems that Evans and Caius are finally going to face one another in combat, but, alas, at the last moment, Shallow and Page take away both men’s weapons (probably for a health and safety reasons or to repair the weapons backstage). Evans and Caius find common ground in thinking that The Host and others had pitted them against one another to make fun of them. They eventually plot together about how to get back at The Host.

When Ford sees Mistress Page and Falstaff's servant in the street and Mistress Page reveals she is on the way to see Ford’s wife, Ford jumps to conclusions. When the others have gone, Ford reveals that he thinks his wife is dishonest since he thinks that Falstaff’s servant is on his way to give his wife a special note from Falstaff. Ford plans to catch the cuckold Falstaff and his wife red-handed. He accuses his wife without any evidence but his suspicion and sees that his wife is guilt and dammed damned already.

“Good plots, they are laid;

and our revolted wives share damnation together.”

Just then, The Host, Evans, Page, Cauis, Shallow and Slender, Ford enter and Ford announces that all of them should come to his house. invites them all to come to his house. The group that enters have been discussing the pros of Slender marrying Anne Page and they reveal this. Page agrees it would be a good match. Page tells Slender that he supports him, but reveals that his wife supports Caius as a good match. Ford again states that they should all dine at his house.

Meanwhile Mistresses Ford and Mistress Page have been planning how to trick Falstaff. They have got their hands on a large laundry basket and they intend to get Falstaff to hide in the basket and then to dump him in the Thames. Falstaff's arrival is announced and Mistress Page hides outside a door and listens in. When Falstaff arrives he attempts to seduce Mistress Ford and goes for the direct approach of announcing his love and wishing the death of her husband. Then suddenly, Robin the servant whispers that Mistress Page is at the door. Falstaff hides. Mistress Page enters with the news that Mistress Ford’s husband and officers are coming to arrest Falstaff. He is encouraged to hide in the laundry basket. Falstaff reluctantly agrees to this and he is hidden in the large basket (but obviously not large enough given Falstaff’s size). Dirty clothes are thrown on top of him just as Ford, Page, Caius, and Evans barge their way into the room.

Ford thinks that he has finally caught Falstaff in the act but as the servants depart with the large oversized laundry basket, they find no sign of Falstaff. Mistress Page is shocked by Ford’s jealousy and she and Misstress Ford plan in private about how they could entice and demean Falstaff more.

The focus shifts back to the Anne Page subplot where Fenton meets Anne Page and tells her that Anne’s father doesn’t seem to favour their match. Fenton reveals that he thinks Anne’s father believes that Fenton, being of noble birth but being virtually broke, is only after Anne for her family’s money.

“He doth object I am too great of birth--,

And that, my state being gall'd with my expense,

I seek to heal it only by his wealth…”

Anne insists that he keep trying in his quest to marry her.

Shallow, Slender and Mistress Quickly enters, quickly, and draws Anne aside to tell her Slender wishes to have a private word with her. Quickly quickly takes Fenton away from his true love. Shallow prompts Slender with shallow things to make conversation but Anne asks Slender to speak for himself. Slender is slim on conversation but eventually says he wants to marry and that arrangements are being made, but if she wants out, she only has to say the word.

Then the page is turned as the Pages (Mistress Page and Page himself) enter. Page asks why Fenton is there and on hearing the reason, he tells Fenton that he will never let his daughter marry him. Fenton is urged by Mistress Quickly to quickly re-declare his love but Anne declares that she will not marry Slender. Mistress Quickly considers her position and decides that although she has promised in some way to help all three men woo Anne, that she will especially help Fenton now.

“A kind heart he hath: a woman would run through

fire and water for such a kind heart. But yet I

would my master had Mistress Anne; or I would

Master Slender had her; or, in sooth, I would Master

Fenton had her; I will do what I can for them all

three; for so I have promised, and I'll be as good

as my word; but speciously for Master Fenton.”

Back at the Garter Inn, a wet and stinky Falstaff has dragged himself back from the Thames River where he was dumped with the dirty laundry from Mistress Ford’s household. Mistress Quickly enters bringing news that Mistress Ford wishes to meet with him again between eight and nine in the evening. Falstaff after all that has happens agrees to meet with Mistress Ford again.

Then Ford enters, disguised as Brooke, and Falstaff tells an exaggerated version of his laundry basket ordeal. When Brooke asks whether this is the end of Falstaff’s liaison with Mistress Ford, Falstaff announces that it is already time for the next meeting with Mistress Ford and that Brooke will soon see Ford cuckolded (which ironically means that Ford will cuckold himself). Falstaff leaves and an astonished and angry Ford declares that he will catch his wife and Falstaff this time.

“… he is at my house; he cannot 'scape me; 'tis impossible he

should; he cannot creep into a halfpenny purse,

nor into a pepper-box: but, lest the devil that

guides him should aid him, I will search

impossible places. Though what I am I cannot avoid,

yet to be what I would not shall not make me tame:

if I have horns to make one mad, let the proverb go

with me: I'll be horn-mad.”

Merry Wives of Windsor Act 4 – “We'll leave a proof, by that which we will do, Wives may be merry, and yet honest too…”

The scheming of the merry wives of Windsor starts to bear fruit as Mistress Page (who enters with Mistress Quickly) checks whether Falstaff has gone to Mistress Ford’s house for the second time. Then a weird but probably insightful scene happens where Evan’s the schoolteacher enters, announcing that school has been cancelled and proceeds to quiz young William Page on his Latin conjugations and declensions. Of course, Mistress Quickly interprets all this as sexual innuendo which is made worse by Evans’ Welsh pronunciation of Latin words. Is this the closest insight we get of Shakespeare’s schooling perhaps at Grammar school in Stratford-upon-Avon?

Take Two. Falstaff seems enthusiastic when he arrives at Mistress Ford’s house for the second time. It seems like Falstaff will finally get his way. But when Mistress Page arrives, Falstaff is hidden in the chamber because of the approach of Ford in a rage to find his wife's lover. Falstaff hides but then reveals himself and flatly refuses to hide again in the laundry basket. Instead it is suggested that Falstaff disguise himself as Mistress Ford’s maid's aunt who is large like Falstaff. Unfortunately for Falstaff, Ford hates the old woman. Ford enters and demands that the laundry basket is searched for Falstaff. No-one is found. Page and Shallow reprimand Ford for his distrust of his wife and then Mistress Page enters with Falstaff in disguise. Ford gets angry at the old woman (Falstaff in disguise) who he had banned from his house because he claims that she is a witch and Ford beats the old woman (Falstaff in a dress) and chases him away. The humor is pure slapstick and is punctuated at the end when Evans points out to Ford that the old woman had a thick beard and Ford and others chase after Falstaff like the Keystone Cops pursuing a thief.

Mistress Ford and Mistress Page then reveal more about their plan. They see that on a third attempt they can publicly humiliate Falstaff one more time.

Back at the Garter Inn, the plot is momentarily diverted when Bardolph tricks The Host into loaning three of his horses to three ‘mysterious’ German guests on their way to the Duke’s court.

We fly across the other side of the stage to Ford's house where Mistress Ford and Mistress Page reveal Falstaff’s letter and their machinations against Falstaff and his advances. Ford asks his wife to forgive him for his jealousy.

“Pardon me, wife. Henceforth do what thou wilt;

I rather will suspect the sun with cold

Than thee with wantonness: now doth thy honour stand

In him that was of late an heretic,

As firm as faith.”

As this thread of the plot is tied, it is decided that they will all join forces to humiliate Falstaff one more final time. Mistress Page comes up with a plan when she recalls:

“There is an old tale goes that Herne the hunter,

Sometime a keeper here in Windsor forest,

Doth all the winter-time, at still midnight,

Walk round about an oak, with great ragg'd horns;

And there he blasts the tree and takes the cattle

And makes milch-kine yield blood and shakes a chain

In a most hideous and dreadful manner:

You have heard of such a spirit, and well you know

The superstitious idle-headed eld

Received and did deliver to our age

This tale of Herne the hunter for a truth.”

Mistress Ford suggests that they get Falstaff to come to an area in the forest dressed as Herne and that they then get the children to disguise themselves as elves and goblins and then they can attack and question Falstaff as spirits and get him to reveal all his lies, deceptions and attempted cuckolding so that all of Windsor can deride Falstaff. Their husbands love the plan and see that they can also get Slender to elope with Anne Page during the confusion.  Ford goes off to diguise himself as Brooke to see if Falstaff will meet Mistress Ford one more time. It then occurs to Mistress Page that in the chaos she can get Caius to elope with Anne.

Back at the Garter Inn, Simple wants to see Falstaff who The Host thinks is seeing a fat old lady but Falstaff (having already changed) says that the witch has gone. Mistress Quickly enters and calls Falstaff aside giving him a message from Mistress Ford that she will meet him in secret. At the same time Fenton reveals to The Host that he loves Anne Page but that he has received a letter about the plans to trick Falstaff. This is not the concern of Fenton but what concerns him is that during the confusion, Anne has been told by her father that she must elope with Slender and has been told by her mother that at the same chaotic moment she must elope with Caius. Fenton then reveals that Anne means to marry him and suggests to The Host:

“… you'll procure the vicar

To stay for me at church 'twixt twelve and one,

And, in the lawful name of marrying,

To give our hearts united ceremony.”

The stage is set for Falstaff to fall once more and for another page to be turned in the Page saga.

Merry Wives of Windsor Act 5 –  “And this deceit loses the name of craft, Of disobedience, or unduteous title…”

“And this deceit loses the name of craft,

Of disobedience, or unduteous title,

Since therein she doth evitate and shun

A thousand irreligious cursed hours,

Which forced marriage would have brought upon her.”

‘Merry Wives of Windsor’ has some of the shortest scenes of any Shakespeare play. This helps to quicken the pace of Act 5 as well as add an almost absurd quality to the lead up to the final plan to fool Flagstaff and help true love reign supreme. What also needs to be remembered when reading the final act is that the play ultimately advocates fidelity and the message that parents should allow their daughters to make their own choices in marriage. This doesn't seem too radical but it has greater gravity when we realise Shakespeare was living away from his own wife and his own daughter was married around this time. 
This act starts off at the infamous Garter Inn where Falstaff tells Mistress Quickly about his third and upcoming attempt to seduce Mistress Ford. Mistress Quickly leaves quickly (how else would she leave) and Ford (in the disguise of Brooke) arrives and asks how things are going with Falstaff and Mistress Ford. We must remember that one of the reasons that Falstaff is meeting with Mistress Ford is so that after seducing her, he can then make her more open to the advances and affections of Brooke (Ford in disguise) so that Ford can be well and truly cuckolded. As Falstaff tells Brooke the story of the previous meeting and the beating he got, his expresses his hope that the third meeting will bring them both Mistress Ford and bring Falstaff revenge against Ford: 

“That same knave Ford, her husband…

beat me grievously… Since I plucked geese,

played truant and whipped top, I knew

not what 'twas to be beaten till lately. Follow

me: I'll tell you strange things of this knave

Ford, on whom to-night I will be revenged, and I

will deliver his wife into your hand…”

At Windsor Park, preparations are being made for the humiliation of Falstaff and the marriage/elopement of Anne Page. Page reminds Slender that he must remember that his daughter will be wearing white in the deceitful drama. Mistress Ford briefs Caius reminding him that he must look for Anne in the green garment so he can elope with her at hiatus of the frenzy in the forest. We know that Anne will be wearing neither and has her own ideas on who her husband should be. The whole ensemble of children, scheming Windsor folk and impatient potential lovers move out to Herne's Oak for their pageantry.

Herne appears at Herne’s Oak (it is in fact Falstaff with large horns on his head). It must be remembered that just a year before, this Shakespearean audience had seen ‘A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream’ so they obviously enjoyed the idea of a man running around with an animals head or horns on. The obvious sexual references would have probably meant that the actor playing Falstaff would have received a barrage of witty (and probably decidedly staid comments from the audience). It would be nice to think the same actor played Falstaff who played Bottom. Falstaff relates the stories of Gods who disguised themselves as animals to seduce human women. Mistresses Ford and Mistress Page arrive and Falstaff is delighted that his philandering hands might be able to work overtime. Just as Falstaff is getting excited, a noise is heard and the women leave as quickly as Mistress Quickly would, if she could. Supernatural creatures appear (well so Falstaff thinks so but we know that it is Evans with the children and Mistress Quickly and Anne Ford in disguise as fairies). They muster mock magic and Falstaff in fear falls to the ground to hide himself.

In the role of the Fairy Queen, Mistress Quickly waxes lyrically about the powers, potions, flowers and jewels of the fairies before she says that she smells a man and asks her fairy and creature followers to burn him. The tapers are a nice touch and the children then encircle Falstaff and, wait for it, pinch him. At the height of the pinching frenzy, Caius sneaks off with a someone wearing white who he thinks is Anne Ford, and Slender slithers away with someone in green who he thinks is Anne Ford. We see Fenton and Anne, colour blind with love, steal away to be married in secret.

The magical creatures, children in disguise, run away and just as Falstaff gets up, Ford and Mistress Ford, Page and Mistress Page appear. Falstaff is caught in the act of trying to cuckold both Ford and Page. Ford also reveals that he knew most of the plan because he was, in fact, disguised as Brooke for some of this deception. Falstaff will also lose his horses because of the money Brooke lent him. Falstaff realizes that he is not a stallion but an ass. Ford is told by Evans to trust his wife more. Falstaff is chastised by Mistress Page for thinking that a woman would think of giving up her honour and fidelity so easily. Falstaff is told he will have debts to pay in Windsor.

From the sublime to the absurd. Slender enters and declares that he was shocked to discover that he had eloped with a boy and not Anne, and then Caius enters and announces that he accidentally got married to a boy. Everyone wonders who got Anne when the newly weds Fenton and Anne enter. The Ford’s are chastised for not letting their daughter marry the man she loves. So, as they prepare for the feast, Man gets the woman he loves, even if it is really a boy in a dress.

Next: Shakespeare returns in 'Henry IV Part 2'