The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 2
592Lines
3Scenes
15Speakers
81% / 19%Male / Female Lines
Act 2 of The Merry Wives of Windsor runs 592 lines across 3 scenes with 15 speaking characters — about 22.6% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — Mistress Page: “What, have I scaped love-letters in the holiday-”
Closes (Scene 3) — Host: “For the which I will be thy adversary toward Anne”
The 3 scenes of Act 2
Who speaks in Act 2
Leading voice: Ford with 22% of Act 2’s dialogue (133 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Ford ♂ | 133 | 22.5% |
| Falstaff ♂ | 105 | 17.7% |
| Mistress Quickly ♀ | 74 | 12.5% |
| Mistress Page ♂ | 73 | 12.3% |
| Mistress Ford ♀ | 37 | 6.3% |
| Host ♂ | 37 | 6.3% |
| Shallow ♂ | 33 | 5.6% |
Characters first heard in Act 2
| Character | Lines in play |
|---|---|
| Mistress Page ♂ | 306 |
| Ford ♂ | 305 |
| Mistress Ford ♀ | 167 |
| Robin ♂ | 13 |
Pacing across the 3 scenes
Scene lengths in Act 2 range from Scene 3 (86 lines, the shortest) to Scene 2 (295 lines, the longest), averaging about 197 lines per scene.
How Act 2 of The Merry Wives of Windsor compares to other comedies
| Play | Act 2 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| The Merchant of Venice | 677 | 9 |
| Much Ado About Nothing | 644 | 3 |
| Two Gentlemen of Verona | 640 | 7 |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor (this act) | 592 | 3 |
| Twelfth Night | 591 | 5 |
| As You Like It | 550 | 7 |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | 429 | 2 |
| Taming of the Shrew | 423 | 1 |
| The Comedy of Errors | 365 | 2 |
| Love's Labours Lost | 269 | 1 |
About Act 2 of The Merry Wives of Windsor
How many lines are in Act 2 of The Merry Wives of Windsor?
592 lines spread across 3 scenes.
Who dominates Act 2?
Ford delivers 22% of the act’s dialogue (133 lines).