The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 3
645Lines
5Scenes
19Speakers
84% / 16%Male / Female Lines
Act 3 of The Merry Wives of Windsor runs 645 lines across 5 scenes with 19 speaking characters — about 24.7% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — Sir Hugh Evans: “I pray you now, good master Slender's serving-man,”
Closes (Scene 5) — Ford: “if I have horns to make one mad, let the proverb go”
The 5 scenes of Act 3
| Scene | Lines | Speakers | Share of act |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scene 1 | 111 | 7 | 17.2% |
| Scene 2 | 83 | 10 | 12.9% |
| Scene 3 | 207 | 9 | 32.1% |
| Scene 4 | 107 | 7 | 16.6% |
| Scene 5 | 137 | 4 | 21.2% |
Who speaks in Act 3
Leading voice: Falstaff with 20% of Act 3’s dialogue (129 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Falstaff ♂ | 129 | 20.0% |
| Ford ♂ | 87 | 13.5% |
| Mistress Page ♂ | 72 | 11.2% |
| Sir Hugh Evans ♂ | 59 | 9.1% |
| Mistress Ford ♀ | 58 | 9.0% |
| Page ♂ | 41 | 6.4% |
| Mistress Quickly ♀ | 30 | 4.7% |
Pacing across the 5 scenes
Scene lengths in Act 3 range from Scene 2 (83 lines, the shortest) to Scene 3 (207 lines, the longest), averaging about 129 lines per scene.
How Act 3 of The Merry Wives of Windsor compares to other comedies
| Play | Act 3 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| As You Like It | 720 | 5 |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | 681 | 2 |
| Twelfth Night | 675 | 4 |
| The Merchant of Venice | 667 | 5 |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor (this act) | 645 | 5 |
| Much Ado About Nothing | 547 | 5 |
| Two Gentlemen of Verona | 470 | 2 |
| The Comedy of Errors | 377 | 2 |
| Taming of the Shrew | 349 | 2 |
| Love's Labours Lost | 223 | 1 |
About Act 3 of The Merry Wives of Windsor
How many lines are in Act 3 of The Merry Wives of Windsor?
645 lines spread across 5 scenes.
Who dominates Act 3?
Falstaff delivers 20% of the act’s dialogue (129 lines).
Which scene is the heaviest in Act 3?
Scene 3, at 207 lines — well above the act’s scene average.