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Who
are these people? This play is full of in-jokes for those who have read
Shakespeare's Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 and Henry
V. In these other plays, Sir John Falstaff is the boon
companion in trouble-making of the heir to the throne of England,
Prince Hal (eventually Henry V). Falstaff is something of a tutor in
mischief to the young prince, and almost everyone in England except
Jack and his cronies wish that the fat older man would leave the young
heir alone. Hal himself operates in a rather ambivalent mental state
towards Jack, knowing that he must eventually discard the older man's
openly parasitic friendship yet also appreciating Falstaff for the
elements of unpredictability and carnival which he introduces into the
younger man's life. Shakespeare and most audiences operate in similar
modes towards Jack. Falstaff's cronies are also in the other plays.
Pistol is noteworthy for his melodramatic and often incomprehensible
rantings. By the beginning of Henry V, he will have married Mistress
Quickly, who appears as Falstaff's sometime-mistress in the two Henry
IV plays, wherein she is also running a brothel. Nym will be
outraged by this marriage, as he too has designs upon the lady; he and
Pistol will squabble in the opening scenes of that play. Bardolph of
the red face will appear in Henry V as the lousy
thief which he is accused of being in Merry Wives;
indeed, he will be caught stealing in a time of martial law and be
executed by Hal, in spite of old acquaintance. In Henry IV,
Part Two, Shallow will be just as much of a provincial idiot as he
appears in this play, if not more stupid.
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This play is
full of models of gentlemanliness. Act one, scene one opens with
Shallow demanding his rights as a gentleman. In his opinion, what makes
him a gentleman? How does he think a gentleman behaves? Notice how in
this scene Shallow's claim is played off against those of Sir Hugh
Evans and Slender. What makes these two men "gentle"? All three
characters are concerned with the behavior of Sir John Falstaff. How
does Falstaff uphold the standards of gentlemanly behavior? Does he
uphold these standards? What does his knighthood enable Jack to do in
his own mind? How is this played off against the setting of the play in
Windsor--i.e. what is Windsor known for in this play?
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Why is Shallow
angry at Falstaff in 1,1? What has Falstaff done to him? Think about
what the wives do to Falstaff in act 5. How are the two events related?
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Late in 1,1,
Shallow tries to talk to Slender about arranging a match between
Slender and Ann Page. Note Slender's strange, evasive reaction. Why is
Slender being so coy and bashful? Who normally would be expected to
respond in this way to a proposed marriage? What does Slender's name
suggest about his masculine attributes? How does Slender try to impress
Ann later in this scene?
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Look at the
relationships between masters and servants in this play. How does
Falstaff treat his servants? How does Slender? Dr. Caius? This
relationship is comparable (but not exactly equal) in contemporary
terms with the husband-wife relationship. How do the husbands treat
their wives? How does Dr. Caius treat his mistress? What is Shakespeare
saying about the respective duties of masters and servants, and
husbands and wives?
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Who are all
the suitors of Ann Page? Who is the primary supporter of each
candidate? How do they all compare as potential husbands for her? Whom
does the lady prefer? Is he the best choice? Who should arrange her
marriage? Who tries to arrange it? Why?
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How do Mrs.
Page and Mrs. Ford react to Falstaff's "love letter"? What does this
tell you about them? What does Falstaff offer them? What do they do to
him when he first meets them? Why is this appropriate? What happens to
him the second time? Why is this also appropriate? And the third time?
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What would
happen if Frank Ford actually encountered Falstaff with his wife at
either of her first two attempted meetings with Falstaff? What does
this tell us about how a husband should deal with his wife? Notice how
the other men in the play regard Ford's jealousy. How do they talk
about his behavior towards his wife? What is Ford's plan when he goes
to Falstaff in disguise as Brook? Is this a wise plan?
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Note how Dr.
Caius is often associated with the body (which he treats as a
physician), while Sir Hugh, as a clergyman, is associated with the
soul. What does it mean when the two are tricked into a fight in Act 3?
Note that this is the center, both physically and thematically, in a
five act play. Why put this fight here? Do they even want to fight? How
do they settle their problems? How does this compare to the plot about
the wives and Falstaff?
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Who is the
Host and what is he doing in this play?
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Why are there
so many stolen horses in this play? What does the horse represent in
the symbolism of this age? (Hint: remember Redcross Knight's horse in
The Faerie Queene? No? How about Plato's horses in the Phaedrus? No?
Then you're on your own!)
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What
is the ruse played on Falstaff in Act 5? Fairies generally punish
people in mild ways for harmless but inappropriate behavior--Cf. Lyly's
Endimion, Shakespeare's
Midsummer
Night's Dream,
and Jonson's The
Alchemist--but
these are phony fairies. Why? Why not use real ones? How does the ruse
with all the phony Ann Pages dressed as fairies relate to the trick
played on Falstaff here? Whom do Slender and Caius get when they unmask
their Anns? Why? Why is this appropriate for each of them? Why is it
especially interesting in a sixteenth-century, English play anyway?
