The Merry Wives of Windsor: Act 3, Scene 2 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 3, Scene 2 of The Merry Wives of Windsor from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter Robin followed by Mistress Page. MISTRESS PAGE Nay, keep your way, little gallant. You were wont to be a follower, but now you are a leader. Whether had you rather—lead mine eyes, or eye your master’s heels? ROBIN I had rather, forsooth, go before you like a man 5 than follow him like a dwarf. MISTRESS PAGE O, you are a flattering boy! Now I see you’ll be a courtier. Enter Ford. FORD Well met, Mistress Page. Whither go you? MISTRESS PAGE Truly, sir, to see your wife. Is she at 10 home? FORD Ay, and as idle as she may hang together, for want of company. I think if your husbands were dead, you two would marry. MISTRESS PAGE Be sure of that—two other husbands. 15 FORD Where had you this pretty weathercock? MISTRESS PAGE I cannot tell what the dickens his name is my husband had him of.—What do you call your knight’s name, sirrah? ROBIN Sir John Falstaff. 20 FORD Sir John Falstaff! MISTRESS PAGE He, he. I can never hit on ’s name. There is such a league between my goodman and he. Is your wife at home indeed? FORD Indeed, she is. 25 MISTRESS PAGE By your leave, sir. I am sick till I see her. Mistress Page and Robin exit. FORD Has Page any brains? Hath he any eyes? Hath he any thinking? Sure they sleep; he hath no use of them. Why, this boy will carry a letter twenty 30 mile as easy as a cannon will shoot point-blank twelve score. He pieces out his wife’s inclination. He gives her folly motion and advantage. And now she’s going to my wife, and Falstaff’s boy with her. A man may hear this shower sing in the wind. And 35 Falstaff’s boy with her! Good plots they are laid, and our revolted wives share damnation together. Well, I will take him, then torture my wife, pluck the borrowed veil of modesty from the so-seeming Mistress Page, divulge Page himself for a secure 40 and willful Acteon, and to these violent proceedings all my neighbors shall cry aim. A clock strikes. The clock gives me my cue, and my assurance bids me search. There I shall find Falstaff. I shall be rather praised for this than mocked, for it 45 is as positive as the earth is firm that Falstaff is there. I will go.	On a street in Windsor, Falstaff's boy servant (Robin) follows Mistress Page around like a little puppy. They're on their way to see Mistress Ford when they bump into Mistress Ford's jealous, insecure husband. Master Ford makes a snide crack about his wife's friendship with Mistress Page, saying he thinks that they'd marry each other if their husbands were dead. Mistress Page quips back that, sure, they'd get remarried all right…to "two other husbands." Take that! Ford asks who Robin works for and Mistress Page pretends not to remember the guy's name. (That would be Falstaff and Master Ford knows it.) Now Ford is totally convinced that Falstaff is sleeping with Mistress Page and Mistress Ford—which is probably just the reaction Mistress Page wanted when she denied knowing Falstaff's name. After Mistress Page and Robin leave, Ford delivers another nasty soliloquy about how he plans to catch Falstaff with his wife so he can (1) "torture" her, (2) make Mistress Page look like a bimbo, and (3) show everyone that Master Page is a chump. He tells us he's going to run home so he can catch Falstaff and his wife together.
Enter Page, Shallow, Slender, Host, Sir Hugh Evans, Doctor Caius, and Rugby. SHALLOW, PAGE, ETC. Well met, Master Ford. FORD Trust me, a good knot. I have good cheer at home, and I pray you all go with me. 50 SHALLOW I must excuse myself, Master Ford. SLENDER And so must I, sir. We have appointed to dine with Mistress Anne, and I would not break with her for more money than I’ll speak of. SHALLOW We have lingered about a match between 55 Anne Page and my cousin Slender, and this day we shall have our answer. SLENDER I hope I have your good will, Father Page. PAGE You have, Master Slender. I stand wholly for you.—But my wife, Master Doctor, is for you 60 altogether. DOCTOR CAIUS Ay, be-gar, and de maid is love-a me! My nursh-a Quickly tell me so mush.	Page, Shallow, Slender, the Host, Evans, John Rugby, and Caius show up. Great! Now Ford will have an audience when he confronts his wife. He invites the guys back to his house and promises them a good time. Slender and Shallow can't make it. They're on their way to the Page house to have dinner with Anne. Slender's hoping to win her over with his best moves. Yeah, good luck with that. Page tells everyone that he wants his daughter to marry Slender, but her mom wants her to get hitched to Doctor Caius. Caius adds that his nurse has told him Anne's in love with him. (Yeah...about that, Doc. Mistress Quickly isn't exactly a reliable source on that topic.)
HOST, to Page What say you to young Master Fenton? He capers, he dances, he has eyes of youth, he 65 writes verses, he speaks holiday, he smells April and May. He will carry ’t, he will carry ’t. ’Tis in his buttons he will carry ’t. PAGE Not by my consent, I promise you. The gentleman is of no having. He kept company with the 70 wild Prince and Poins. He is of too high a region; he knows too much. No, he shall not knit a knot in his fortunes with the finger of my substance. If he take her, let him take her simply. The wealth I have waits on my consent, and my consent goes not that 75 way. FORD I beseech you heartily, some of you go home with me to dinner. Besides your cheer, you shall have sport: I will show you a monster. Master Doctor, you shall go.—So shall you, Master Page.— 80 And you, Sir Hugh. SHALLOW Well, fare you well. We shall have the freer wooing at Master Page’s. Shallow and Slender exit. DOCTOR CAIUS Go home, John Rugby. I come anon. Rugby exits. HOST Farewell, my hearts. I will to my honest knight 85 Falstaff, and drink canary with him. He exits. FORD, aside I think I shall drink in pipe-wine first with him; I’ll make him dance.—Will you go, gentles? PAGE, DOCTOR CAIUS, AND SIR HUGH Have with you to 90 see this monster. They exit.	The Host chimes in that Fenton seems like a good candidate—he's young, likes to dance, writes poetry, always smells good, and knows how to talk to girls. Page says no way. Fenton is an aristocrat and Page doesn't want his daughter marrying someone outside her social class. Besides, Page says that Fenton just wants Anne for her money and points out that he used to hang out with hoodlums like the Prince of Wales and a loser named Poins. Brain Snack: This is a shout-out to Henry IV Part 1, where wild Prince Hal and his low-life pals (Ned Poins, Falstaff, and Bardolph) raised hell all throughout Eastcheap London. Ford convinces Page, Caius, and Evans to go home with him by promising that he'll show them not only some "cheer," but also a monster. Intrigued, they go with him.

Original Text

Translated Text

Enter Robin followed by Mistress Page.

MISTRESS PAGE
Nay, keep your way, little gallant. You
were wont to be a follower, but now you are a
leader. Whether had you rather—lead mine eyes,
or eye your master’s heels?

ROBIN I had rather, forsooth, go before you like a man 5
than follow him like a dwarf.

MISTRESS PAGE
O, you are a flattering boy! Now I see
you’ll be a courtier.

Enter Ford.

FORD Well met, Mistress Page. Whither go you?

MISTRESS PAGE
Truly, sir, to see your wife. Is she at 10
home?

FORD
Ay, and as idle as she may hang together, for
want of company. I think if your husbands were
dead, you two would marry.

MISTRESS PAGE
Be sure of that—two other husbands. 15

FORD
Where had you this pretty weathercock?

MISTRESS PAGE
I cannot tell what the dickens his name
is my husband had him of.—What do you call your
knight’s name, sirrah?

ROBIN
Sir John Falstaff. 20

FORD
Sir John Falstaff!

MISTRESS PAGE
He, he. I can never hit on ’s name.
There is such a league between my goodman and
he. Is your wife at home indeed?

FORD Indeed, she is. 25

MISTRESS PAGE
By your leave, sir. I am sick till I see
her.

Mistress Page and Robin exit.

FORD
Has Page any brains? Hath he any eyes? Hath
he any thinking? Sure they sleep; he hath no use
of them. Why, this boy will carry a letter twenty 30
mile as easy as a cannon will shoot point-blank
twelve score. He pieces out his wife’s inclination.
He gives her folly motion and advantage. And now
she’s going to my wife, and Falstaff’s boy with her.
A man may hear this shower sing in the wind. And 35
Falstaff’s boy with her! Good plots they are laid,
and our revolted wives share damnation together.
Well, I will take him, then torture my wife, pluck
the borrowed veil of modesty from the so-seeming
Mistress Page, divulge Page himself for a secure 40
and willful Acteon, and to these violent proceedings
all my neighbors shall cry aim. A clock
strikes. The clock gives me my cue, and my assurance
bids me search. There I shall find Falstaff. I
shall be rather praised for this than mocked, for it 45
is as positive as the earth is firm that Falstaff is
there. I will go.

On a street in Windsor, Falstaff's boy servant (Robin) follows Mistress Page around like a little puppy. They're on their way to see Mistress Ford when they bump into Mistress Ford's jealous, insecure husband.

Master Ford makes a snide crack about his wife's friendship with Mistress Page, saying he thinks that they'd marry each other if their husbands were dead.

Mistress Page quips back that, sure, they'd get remarried all right…to "two other husbands." Take that!

Ford asks who Robin works for and Mistress Page pretends not to remember the guy's name. (That would be Falstaff and Master Ford knows it.)

Now Ford is totally convinced that Falstaff is sleeping with Mistress Page and Mistress Ford—which is probably just the reaction Mistress Page wanted when she denied knowing Falstaff's name.

After Mistress Page and Robin leave, Ford delivers another nasty soliloquy about how he plans to catch Falstaff with his wife so he can (1) "torture" her, (2) make Mistress Page look like a bimbo, and (3) show everyone that Master Page is a chump. He tells us he's going to run home so he can catch Falstaff and his wife together.

Enter Page, Shallow, Slender, Host, Sir Hugh
Evans, Doctor Caius, and Rugby.

SHALLOW, PAGE, ETC.
Well met, Master Ford.

FORD Trust me, a good knot. I have good cheer at
home, and I pray you all go with me. 50

SHALLOW
I must excuse myself, Master Ford.

SLENDER And so must I, sir. We have appointed to dine
with Mistress Anne, and I would not break with
her for more money than I’ll speak of.

SHALLOW We have lingered about a match between 55
Anne Page and my cousin Slender, and this day we
shall have our answer.

SLENDER
I hope I have your good will, Father Page.

PAGE
You have, Master Slender. I stand wholly for
you.—But my wife, Master Doctor, is for you 60
altogether.

DOCTOR CAIUS Ay, be-gar, and de maid is love-a me! My
nursh-a Quickly tell me so mush.

Page, Shallow, Slender, the Host, Evans, John Rugby, and Caius show up. Great! Now Ford will have an audience when he confronts his wife.

He invites the guys back to his house and promises them a good time.

Slender and Shallow can't make it. They're on their way to the Page house to have dinner with Anne. Slender's hoping to win her over with his best moves. Yeah, good luck with that.

Page tells everyone that he wants his daughter to marry Slender, but her mom wants her to get hitched to Doctor Caius.

Caius adds that his nurse has told him Anne's in love with him. (Yeah...about that, Doc. Mistress Quickly isn't exactly a reliable source on that topic.)

HOST, to Page What say you to young Master Fenton?
He capers, he dances, he has eyes of youth, he 65
writes verses, he speaks holiday, he smells April
and May. He will carry ’t, he will carry ’t. ’Tis in his
buttons he will carry ’t.

PAGE Not by my consent, I promise you. The gentleman
is of no having. He kept company with the 70
wild Prince and Poins. He is of too high a region;
he knows too much. No, he shall not knit a knot in
his fortunes with the finger of my substance. If he
take her, let him take her simply. The wealth I have
waits on my consent, and my consent goes not that 75
way.

FORD
I beseech you heartily, some of you go home
with me to dinner. Besides your cheer, you shall
have sport: I will show you a monster. Master Doctor,
you shall go.—So shall you, Master Page.— 80
And you, Sir Hugh.

SHALLOW
Well, fare you well. We shall have the freer
wooing at Master Page’s.

Shallow and Slender exit.

DOCTOR CAIUS Go home, John Rugby. I come anon.

Rugby exits.

HOST
Farewell, my hearts. I will to my honest knight 85
Falstaff, and drink canary with him.

He exits.

FORD, aside
I think I shall drink in pipe-wine first
with him; I’ll make him dance.—Will you go,
gentles?

PAGE, DOCTOR CAIUS, AND SIR HUGH Have with you to 90
see this monster.

They exit.

The Host chimes in that Fenton seems like a good candidate—he's young, likes to dance, writes poetry, always smells good, and knows how to talk to girls. Page says no way.

Fenton is an aristocrat and Page doesn't want his daughter marrying someone outside her social class.

Besides, Page says that Fenton just wants Anne for her money and points out that he used to hang out with hoodlums like the Prince of Wales and a loser named Poins.

Brain Snack: This is a shout-out to Henry IV Part 1, where wild Prince Hal and his low-life pals (Ned Poins, Falstaff, and Bardolph) raised hell all throughout Eastcheap London.

Ford convinces Page, Caius, and Evans to go home with him by promising that he'll show them not only some "cheer," but also a monster. Intrigued, they go with him.

The Merry Wives of Windsor: Act 3, Scene 2 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 3, Scene 2 of The Merry Wives of Windsor from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text

Translated Text

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