The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 1
528Lines
4Scenes
15Speakers
82% / 18%Male / Female Lines
Act 1 of The Merry Wives of Windsor runs 528 lines across 4 scenes with 15 speaking characters — about 20.2% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — Shallow: “Sir Hugh, persuade me not; I will make a Star-”
Closes (Scene 4) — Mistress Quickly: “for I know Anne's mind as well as another does. Out”
The 4 scenes of Act 1
| Scene | Lines | Speakers | Share of act |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scene 1 | 274 | 10 | 51.9% |
| Scene 2 | 12 | 2 | 2.3% |
| Scene 3 | 93 | 5 | 17.6% |
| Scene 4 | 149 | 5 | 28.2% |
Who speaks in Act 1
Leading voice: Slender with 17% of Act 1’s dialogue (92 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Slender ♂ | 92 | 17.4% |
| Mistress Quickly ♀ | 86 | 16.3% |
| Sir Hugh Evans ♂ | 83 | 15.7% |
| Falstaff ♂ | 61 | 11.6% |
| Shallow ♂ | 47 | 8.9% |
| Doctor Caius ♂ | 36 | 6.8% |
| Pistol ♂ | 30 | 5.7% |
Pacing across the 4 scenes
Scene lengths in Act 1 range from Scene 2 (12 lines, the shortest) to Scene 1 (274 lines, the longest), averaging about 132 lines per scene.
How Act 1 of The Merry Wives of Windsor compares to other comedies
| Play | Act 1 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| Twelfth Night | 578 | 5 |
| As You Like It | 568 | 3 |
| Taming of the Shrew | 542 | 2 |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor (this act) | 528 | 4 |
| Love's Labours Lost | 513 | 2 |
| The Merchant of Venice | 500 | 2 |
| Much Ado About Nothing | 384 | 3 |
| Two Gentlemen of Verona | 381 | 3 |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | 356 | 2 |
| The Comedy of Errors | 274 | 2 |
About Act 1 of The Merry Wives of Windsor
How many lines are in Act 1 of The Merry Wives of Windsor?
528 lines spread across 4 scenes.
Which scene is the heaviest in Act 1?
Scene 1, at 274 lines — well above the act’s scene average.