The Merry Wives of Windsor

DOVER · THRIFT · EDITIONS

The Merry Wives

of Windsor

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC.

Mineola, New York

DOVER THRIFT EDITIONS

GENERAL EDITOR: PAUL NEGRI

EDITOR OF THIS VOLUME: SUSAN L. RATTINER

Copyright

Copyright © 2000 by Dover Publications, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Theatrical Rights

This Dover Thrift Edition may be used in its entirety, in adaptation, or in any other way for theatrical productions, professional and amateur, in the United States, without fee, permission, or acknowledgment. (This may not apply outside of the United States, as copyright conditions may vary.)

Bibliographical Note

This Dover edition, first published in 2000 and reissued in 2014, contains the unabridged text of The Merry Wives of Windsor as published in Volume IV of The Caxton Edition of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Caxton Publishing Company, London, n.d. The Note was prepared specially for this edition.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Shakespeare, William, 1564–1616.

The merry wives of Windsor / William Shakespeare.

      p. cm. — (Dover thrift editions)

Contains the unabridged text of The merry wives of Windsor as published in volume IV of the Caxton edition of The complete works of William Shakespeare, Caxton Publishing Company, London—T.p. verso.

eISBN-13: 978-0-486-15927-0

   1. Falstaff, John, Sir (Fictitious character) — Drama. 2. Married women — Drama. 3. Windsor (Berkshire, England) — Drama. I. Title. II. Series.

PR2826 .A1 2000

822.3'3–dc21

00-031779

Manufactured in the United States by Courier Corporation

41422102       2014

www.doverpublications.com

Note

The Merry Wives of Windsor is an unusual example of William Shakespeare’s (1564–1616) comedic talent. Virtually his only play that portrays middle-class country life in any way, it also is the only one set in Windsor, where it was probably first performed. The setting of the farce is at once understandable since it was supposedly written at the express request of Queen Elizabeth I after she had seen the performances of both parts of Henry IV. The queen had grown so enamored of Falstaff that she commanded Shakespeare to write a play detailing the character’s exploits in love. Not only did the skillful dramatist comply with her order, but he is also said to have completed it in a fortnight. The first recorded mention of this can be found in John Dennis’s preface to the 1702 adaptation of the play.

One of his great comedies, The Merry Wives of Windsor might have been written as early as 1597, as its first performance is thought to have occurred during the Feast of St. George, which was the initiation ceremony for the newly elected Knights of the Garter. An early version of the play, entered into the Stationers’ Register in January 1602, was later discovered to be a bad quarto, a mangled form of the play reconstructed from memory by one of the actors. The authoritative text of the play was first published in 1623 in the First Folio, a collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays.

Unlike many of Shakespeare’s works, The Merry Wives of Windsor owes little of its plot to previous writers. If conjecture can be believed—that Shakespeare wrote and performed the play all within fourteen days—then one can only assume that the dramatist must have revived events and characters from previous plays, perhaps ones already owned by his theatre company. Although no specific source is known, some critics infer that the comic devices in the play correspond with Italian popular comedy of the time, specifically Straparola’s Le Tredici Piacevoli Notte, which was then available in English translations.

Contents

Dramatis Personæ

Act I

Act II

Act III

Act IV

Act V

Dramatis Personæ

¹

SIR JOHN FALSTAFF.

FENTON, a gentleman.

SHALLOW, a country justice.

SLENDER, cousin to Shallow.

WILLIAM PAGE, a boy, son to Page.

SIR HUGH EVANS, a Welsh parson.

DOCTOR CAIUS, a French physician.

HOST of the Garter Inn.

ROBIN, page to Falstaff.

SIMPLE, servant to Slender.

RUGBY, servant to Doctor Caius.

MISTRESS FORD.

MISTRESS PAGE.

ANNE PAGE, her daughter.

MISTRESS QUICKLY, servant to Doctor Caius.

Servants to Page, Ford, etc.

SCENE—Windsor, and the neighbourhood

¹An imperfect sketch of this play was first published in quarto in 1602, and was reissued in 1619. A complete version first appeared in the First Folio of 1623, and this was reissued in a Third Quarto in 1630. The Folio first divided the text into acts and scenes. But there is no list of dramatis personæ. This was first supplied by Nicholas Rowe in his edition of Shakespeare’s works, 1709.

ACT I.

SCENE I. Windsor. Before Page’s House.

Enter JUSTICE SHALLOW, SLENDER, and SIR HUGH EVANS

SHALLOW.    Sir Hugh, persuade me not; I will make a Star-chamber matter¹ of it: if he were twenty Sir John Falstaffs, he shall not abuse Robert Shallow, esquire.

SLEN.    In the county of Gloucester, justice of peace and Coram.²

SHAL.    Ay, cousin Slender, and Custalorum.

SLEN.    Ay, and Rato-lorum too; and a gentleman born, master parson; who writes himself Armigero, in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, Armigero."

SHAL.    Ay, that I do; and have done any time these three hundred years.

SLEN.    All his successors gone before him hath done ’t; and all his ancestors that come after him may: they may give the dozen white luces³ in their coat.

SHAL.    It is an old coat.

EVANS.    The dozen white louses⁴ do become an old coat well; it agrees well, passant; it is a familiar beast to man, and signifies love.

SHAL.    The luce is the fresh fish; the salt fish is an old coat.⁵

SLEN.    I may quarter,⁶ coz.

SHAL.    You may, by marrying.

EVANS.    It is marring indeed, if he quarter it.

SHAL.    Not a whit.

EVANS.    Yes, py’r lady; if he has a quarter of your coat, there is but three skirts for yourself, in my simple conjectures: but that is all one. If Sir John Falstaff have committed disparagements unto you, I am of the church, and will be glad to do my benevolence to make atonements and compremises between you.

SHAL.    The council⁷ shall hear it; it is a riot.

EVANS.    It is not meet the council hear a riot; there is no fear of Got in a riot: the council, look you, shall desire to hear the fear of Got, and not to hear a riot; take your vizaments in that.⁸

SHAL.    Ha! o’ my life, if I were young again, the sword should end it.

EVANS.    It is petter that friends is the sword, and end it: and there is also another device in my prain, which peradventure prings goot discretions with it:—there is Anne Page, which is daughter to Master Thomas Page,⁹ which is pretty virginity.

SLEN.    Mistress Anne Page? She has brown hair, and speaks small¹⁰ like a woman.

EVANS.    It is that fery person for all the orld, as just as you will desire; and seven hundred pounds of moneys, and gold and silver, is her grandsire upon his death’s-bed (Got deliver to a joyful resurrections!) give, when she is able to overtake seventeen years old: it were a goot motion if we leave our pribbles and prabbles,¹¹ and desire a marriage between Master Abraham and Mistress Anne Page.

SLEN.    Did her grandsire leave her seven hundred pound?

EVANS.    Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny.

SLEN.    I know the young gentlewoman; she has good gifts.

EVANS.    Seven hundred pounds and possibilities is goot gifts.

SHAL.    Well, let us see honest Master Page. Is Falstaff there?

EVANS.    Shall I tell you a lie? I do despise a liar as I do despise one that is false, or as I despise one that is not true. The knight, Sir John, is there; and, I beseech you, be ruled by your well-willers. I will peat the door for Master Page. [Knocks] What, hoa! Got pless your house here!

PAGE.    [within] Who’s there?

Enter PAGE

EVANS.    Here is Got’s plessing, and your friend, and Justice Shallow; and here young Master Slender, that peradventures shall tell you another tale, if matters grow to your likings.

PAGE.    I am glad to see your worships well. I thank you for my venison, Master Shallow.

SHAL.    Master Page, I am glad to see you: much good do it your good heart! I wished your venison better; it was ill