The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 4 Scene 1 runs 71 lines of dialogue, spoken by 4 speakers. That is shorter than the play’s average scene length of about 114 lines. This scene is part of Act 4 of The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Full Dialogue
Mistress Page ♂
Is he at Master Ford's already, think'st thou?
Mistress Quickly ♀
Sure he is by this, or will be presently: but,
truly, he is very courageous mad about his throwing
into the water. Mistress Ford desires you to come suddenly.
truly, he is very courageous mad about his throwing
into the water. Mistress Ford desires you to come suddenly.
Mistress Page ♂
I'll be with her by and by; I'll but bring my young
man here to school. Look, where his master comes;
'tis a playing-day, I see.
How now, Sir Hugh! no school to-day?
man here to school. Look, where his master comes;
'tis a playing-day, I see.
How now, Sir Hugh! no school to-day?
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
No; Master Slender is let the boys leave to play.
Mistress Quickly ♀
Blessing of his heart!
Mistress Page ♂
Sir Hugh, my husband says my son profits nothing in
the world at his book. I pray you, ask him some
questions in his accidence.
the world at his book. I pray you, ask him some
questions in his accidence.
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
Come hither, William; hold up your head; come.
Mistress Page ♂
Come on, sirrah; hold up your head; answer your
master, be not afraid.
master, be not afraid.
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
William, how many numbers is in nouns?
William Page ♂
Two.
Mistress Quickly ♀
Truly, I thought there had been one number more,
because they say, ''Od's nouns.'
because they say, ''Od's nouns.'
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
Peace your tattlings! What is 'fair,' William?
William Page ♂
Pulcher.
Mistress Quickly ♀
Polecats! there are fairer things than polecats, sure.
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
You are a very simplicity 'oman: I pray you peace.
What is 'lapis,' William?
What is 'lapis,' William?
William Page ♂
A stone.
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
And what is 'a stone,' William?
William Page ♂
A pebble.
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
No, it is 'lapis:' I pray you, remember in your prain.
William Page ♂
Lapis.
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
That is a good William. What is he, William, that
does lend articles?
does lend articles?
William Page ♂
Articles are borrowed of the pronoun, and be thus
declined, Singulariter, nominativo, hic, haec, hoc.
declined, Singulariter, nominativo, hic, haec, hoc.
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
Nominativo, hig, hag, hog; pray you, mark:
genitivo, hujus. Well, what is your accusative case?
genitivo, hujus. Well, what is your accusative case?
William Page ♂
Accusativo, hinc.
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
I pray you, have your remembrance, child,
accusative, hung, hang, hog.
accusative, hung, hang, hog.
Mistress Quickly ♀
'Hang-hog' is Latin for bacon, I warrant you.
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
Leave your prabbles, 'oman. What is the focative
case, William?
case, William?
William Page ♂
O,–vocativo, O.
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
Remember, William; focative is caret.
Mistress Quickly ♀
And that's a good root.
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
'Oman, forbear.
Mistress Page ♂
Peace!
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
What is your genitive case plural, William?
William Page ♂
Genitive case!
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
Ay.
William Page ♂
Genitive,–horum, harum, horum.
Mistress Quickly ♀
Vengeance of Jenny's case! fie on her! never name
her, child, if she be a whore.
her, child, if she be a whore.
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
For shame, 'oman.
Mistress Quickly ♀
You do ill to teach the child such words: he
teaches him to hick and to hack, which they'll do
fast enough of themselves, and to call 'horum:' fie upon you!
teaches him to hick and to hack, which they'll do
fast enough of themselves, and to call 'horum:' fie upon you!
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
'Oman, art thou lunatics? hast thou no
understandings for thy cases and the numbers of the
genders? Thou art as foolish Christian creatures as
I would desires.
understandings for thy cases and the numbers of the
genders? Thou art as foolish Christian creatures as
I would desires.
Mistress Page ♂
Prithee, hold thy peace.
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
Show me now, William, some declensions of your pronouns.
William Page ♂
Forsooth, I have forgot.
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
It is qui, quae, quod: if you forget your 'quies,'
your 'quaes,' and your 'quods,' you must be
preeches. Go your ways, and play; go.
your 'quaes,' and your 'quods,' you must be
preeches. Go your ways, and play; go.
Mistress Page ♂
He is a better scholar than I thought he was.
Sir Hugh Evans ♂
He is a good sprag memory. Farewell, Mistress Page.
Mistress Page ♂
Adieu, good Sir Hugh.
Get you home, boy. Come, we stay too long.
Get you home, boy. Come, we stay too long.
71 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.
Who’s On Stage
Speaking characters in this scene
| Character | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Hugh Evans | 30 | 42.3% |
| Mistress Page | 15 | 21.1% |
| Mistress Quickly | 14 | 19.7% |
| William Page | 12 | 16.9% |
Line distribution
The top speaker in this scene delivers 30 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 18 lines.
Total speakers on stage
4 named characters speak in this scene.
Scene in Context
Position within Act 4
This is Scene 1 of 6 in Act 4 of The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Scene length vs. play average
At 71 lines, this scene is shorter than the The Merry Wives of Windsor average scene in The Merry Wives of Windsor (~114 lines).
Adjacent scenes
Previous: Act 3 Scene 5 · Next: Act 4 Scene 2
About Act 4 Scene 1 of The Merry Wives of Windsor
Who carries Act 4 Scene 1 of The Merry Wives of Windsor?
Sir Hugh Evans, with 30 lines — about 42% of the scene.
Is the scene a dialogue or a solo?
With 4 speakers and the lead holding 42% of the lines, this scene is a balanced multi-voice exchange.