Character in The Merry Wives of Windsor
Mistress Quickly ♀ female
262Lines Spoken
1.4First Scene
5.5Last Scene
10.0%Of Play Dialogue
Mistress Quickly is the #4 largest role in The Merry Wives of Windsor, speaking 262 lines (10.0% of the play) across 9 scenes from Act 1 through Act 5. Below: scene-by-scene line counts, who Mistress Quickly shares the stage with most, and key speech examples.
Mistress Quickly’s position in the full cast
| # | Role | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Falstaff | 433 | 16.6% |
| 2 | Mistress Page | 306 | 11.7% |
| 3 | Ford | 305 | 11.7% |
| 4 | Mistress Quickly (this role) | 262 | 10.0% |
| 5 | Sir Hugh Evans | 222 | 8.5% |
| 6 | Mistress Ford | 167 | 6.4% |
| 7 | Page | 144 | 5.5% |
| 8 | Slender | 141 | 5.4% |
| 9 | Shallow | 114 | 4.4% |
| 10 | Host | 107 | 4.1% |
How Mistress Quickly’s dialogue distributes across the play
Mistress Quickly’s dramatic peak falls in Act 1 with 86 lines — the act where the role carries the most weight on stage.
Voice signature
Opening line (Act 1, Scene 4): “What, John Rugby! I pray thee, go to the casement,”
Representative speech (Act 3, Scene 5): “she does so take on with her men; they mistook their erection.”
Who Mistress Quickly shares the stage with
| Scene partner | Shared scenes |
|---|---|
| Falstaff | 5 |
| Ford | 5 |
| Mistress Page | 4 |
| Page | 3 |
| Sir Hugh Evans | 3 |
| Doctor Caius | 3 |
| Pistol | 3 |
| Fenton | 3 |
| Bardolph | 3 |
| Shallow | 2 |
Questions about Mistress Quickly
Is Mistress Quickly the lead role in The Merry Wives of Windsor?
Mistress Quickly is ranked #4 by line count among 25 speaking characters in The Merry Wives of Windsor — a major role carrying 10.0% of the play’s dialogue.
What is Mistress Quickly’s longest scene?
Act 1 Scene 4, where Mistress Quickly speaks 86 lines.
Who does Mistress Quickly speak to the most?
Mistress Quickly shares the most scenes with Falstaff — 5 scenes together across The Merry Wives of Windsor.