The Folio’s MERRY WIVES not only provides very few stage directions (46), it also has the lowest ratio of Stage directions to Lines of text (1:59). Only TWO GENTS OF VERONA has fewer (43). But, in theatrical terms, TWO GENTS is a far simpler play and, even here, its ratio of stage directions to lines (1:53) is higher than that of MERRY WIVES.
Furthermore, the 1602 “bad” Quarto of MERRY WIVES, with its 109 stage directions, more than doubles the number of the Folio’s. So even though textual editors believe that the Folio’s copy was probably a transcription based on a promptbook, much useful theatrical information must have been expurgated by the scribe, Ralph Crane.
In ascertaining “entrances & exits” for MERRY WIVES, then, I have therefore had to rely more than usual on the guesses and choices of both the OXFORD and RIVERSIDE editors. But apart from this obvious paucity of stage directions (which might also be due to compositorial “cramming”), the text of MERRY WIVES is clean and presents few other problems.
ACTS & SCENES are those of the FOLIO.
•1.1: line 1 (reads “Act 1 scene 1 begins at line 1″)
•1.2: line 286
•1.3: line 299
•1.4: line 397
•2.1: line 551
•2.2: line 769
•2.3: line 1065
•3.1: line 1157
•3.2: line 1269
•3.3: line 1350
•3.4: line 1566
•3.5: line 1678
•4.1: line 1821
•4.2: line 1899
•4.3: line 2107
•4.4: line 2120
•4.5: line 2217
•4.6: line 2343
•5.1: line 2400
•5.2: line 2430
•5.3: line 2446
•5.4: line 2472
•5.5: line 2478
FINIS: line 2730
_______________
Entrances & exits of Characters
According to their order of appearance.
• (2,242) reads “enters at line 2, exits at line 242″.
• DIGUISED as “Broome” (914,1064)
is inserted at the end of some characters’ list (in this case FORD’s) to indicate “duration” (or “durations”) of said disguise.
• Satyr (2518,2588)
at the end of a character’s list, reads “Character (in this case EVANS) plays the part of a SATYR in the inset play from lines 2518 to 2588”.
• PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS are capitalized.
SHALLOW (a country justice)
(2,242) (727,761) (1082,1140) (1188,1258) (1310,1343) (1591,1644) (2003,2082) (2431,2445)
SLENDER (cousin to Shallow)
(2,285) (1082,1140) (1188,1258) (1310,1343) (1591,1644) (2431,2445) (2584) (2661,2729)
EVANS (a Welsh parson)
(2,242) (287,298) (1158,1268) (1310,1349) (1482,1505) (1528,1565) (1830,1896) (2003,2082) (2121,2207) (2290,2298) (2473,2477) (2518,2729) / Satyr (2518,2588)
PAGE (gentleman of Windsor)
(71,182) (272,285) (650,761) (1082,1140) (1188,1258) (1310,1349) (1482,1505) (1528,1560) (1633,1644) (2003,2082) (2121,2207) (2431,2445) (2584,2729)
FALSTAFF
(104,182) (300,375) (770,1038) (1386,1432) (1470 [hides 1475,1490]) (1679,1806) (1899,1909) (1941,1973) (2064,2069) (2237,2342) (2401,2429) (2479,2729) DISGUISED as “Aunt of Brainford” (2064,2069)
BARDOLPH (follower of Falstaff)
(104,182) (300,319) (905,911) (1681,1682) (1697,1708) (2107,2119) (2280,2308)
Nym (follower of Falstaff)
(104,182) (300,396) (650,676)
PISTOL (follower of Falstaff)
(104,182) (300,396) (650,676) (770,899) (2518,2729) / Goblin (2518,2588)
ANNE PAGE
(173,175) (237,285) (1567,1663) (2518,2584) (2697,2729) / Fairy (2518,2584)
MISTRESS PAGE
(173,182) (552,701) (1269,1292) (1351,1383) (1433,1560) (1633,1633) (1822,1897) (1908,1996) (2064,2106) (2121,2216) (2447,2471) (2495,2514) (2584,2729)
MISTRESS FORD
(173,182) (579,701) (1351,1560) (1899,1990) (1996,1999) (2015,2106) (2121,2209) (2447,2471) (2495,2514) (2584,2729)
Simple (servant to Slender)
(184,248) (287,298) (398,433) (460,500) (1158,1169) (1180,1258) (2218,2273)
Robin (page to Falstaff)
(300,375) (800,896) (1269,1292) (1369,1381) (1427,1560)
HOST of the Garter Inn
(300,314) (721,761) (1082,1156) (1220,1255) (1310,1346) (2107,2119) (2218,2308) (2344,2399)
MISTRESS QUICKLY (servant to Dr. Caius)
(398,550) (694,701) (803,896) (1591,1677) (1702,1728) (1822,1897) (2318,2342) (2401,2409) (2518,2729) / Queen of Fairies (2518,2588)
John Rugby (servant to Dr. Caius)
(398,407) (431,512) (1066,1156) (1220,1268) (1310,1344)
CAIUS (a French physician)
(436,512) (1066,1156) (1220,1268) (1310,1349) (1482,1505) (1528,1565) (2003,2082) (2299,2305) (2447,2453) (2584) (2688,2694)
FENTON (a gentleman)
(517,547) (1567,1663) (2344,2399) (2584) (2697,2729)
FORD (gentleman of Windsor)
(650,768) (914,1064) (1277,1349) (1482,1500) (1528,1560) (1730,1820) (2003,2082) (2121,2207) (2409,2429) (2584,2729) / DIGUISED as “Broome” (914,1064) (1730,1820) (2409,2429)
John & Robert (servants to Page)
(1353,1368) (1478,1490) (1996,2106)
William Page (young Page)
(1822,1897)
“Boyes drest like fairies” [Q stage direction]
(2473,2477) (2518,2729) / Fairies (2518, 2588)
___________
Plot #1
ANNE PAGE is wooed by SLENDER, CAIUS, & FENTON.
PAGE has betrothed his daughter to Slender.
While his wife, MISTRESS PAGE, has betrothed her daughter to CAIUS.
Anne herself, loves FENTON.
(and QUICKLY serves as intermediary to all three wooers.)
Plot #2
FALSTAFF, in order to line his empty pockets, will seek to woo both Mistress Page & MISTRESS FORD (the “merry wives” of the play’s title). But the wives themselves, being constant (i.e. faithful to their husbands), will rather seek to teach the fat knight a lesson.
The husbands, Page & FORD, are forewarned of Falstaff’s disreputable intents by the knight’s own disaffected followers NYM & PISTOL. Page is unconcerned. But Ford is jealous and will disguise himself as a Mr. Broome (or “Brooke” in the Quarto) in order to sound the fat knight and catch the (purported) lovers in flagrante delicto.
Of course, Ford’s attempts will be foiled by his clever wife. And Falstaff will be taught his lesson: He is dumped into the Thames along with the dirty laundry (3.3) and then (4.2) beaten by Ford (who mistakes the disguised Falstaff for a hated “fat aunt”).
Plot #3:
There is also a small tertiary plot wherein CAIUS is fooled into believing that EVANS is also wooing ANNE (1.4). A duel is arranged between the two by the HOST, but it is in two different locations (2.3 & 3.1). Caius & Evans will then join together in order to play a trick back on the Host (4.3 & 5).
[There may be the slightest trace of yet another subplot involving PISTOL and MISTRESS QUICKLY at 2.2.135–7 (TLN 897–9). Shakespeare seems to hint at a “wooing” of Quickly by Pistol (which would explain their being recently married in HENRY V, 2.2). But this subplot remains completely undeveloped]
In conclusion, the FORDs are reconciled and, together with the PAGEs, decide to play a final trick on FALSTAFF (5.5) whereby the knight is lured into the woods and set upon by pinching “fairies” (played by EVANS, QUICKLY, PISTOL, ANNE, & some local “BOYES”). It is during this “fairies” episode that each of Anne’s wooers (CAIUS, SLENDER & FENTON) must steal away Anne and be married. Of course, two of the wooers will be made to steal away with “local boyes”.
If we were to COLORIZE such intermixed plots, it would probably be best to isolate those characters that are mostly associated with only one of the three plots (even though all characters navigate between the three)
• PLOT #1 “The Wooing of Anne”:
ANNE
PAGE
SHALLOW
SLENDER
CAIUS
FENTON
• PLOT #2 “Falstaff & the Wives”
FALSTAFF
MISTRESS PAGE
MISTRESS FORD
PISTOL
NYM
FORD (“Broome”)
• PLOT #3 “The Host’s Horses”
The HOST
EVANS
___________
FALSTAFF as “Aunt of Brainford” (2064,2069), Conscious
EVANS as Satyr (2518,2588), Conscious
PISTOL as Goblin (2518,2588), Conscious
ANNE PAGE as Fairy (2518,2584), Conscious
MISTRESS QUICKLY as Queen of Fairies (2518,2588), Conscious
“Boyes” as Fairies (2518, 2588), Conscious
FORD as “Broome” (914,1064) (1730,1820) (2409,2429), Conscious
NOTE that Ford is DISGUISED (as Broome) until 2429 (not 2729)
•(2518,2588)
Type: Gulling (green)
Title: Herne The Hunter