The Merry Wives of Windsor

Roles

• Ford - Adult (36-50), Male

About this piece

Ford curses his wife for cheating on him

Summary

In the first scene of the play we are introduced to Justice Shallow, Master Slender and Sir Hugh Evans. First they talk about Sir John Falstaff, a scoundrel and a thief, who has wronged them, then about Slender's hopes to marry Anne Page. They confront Falstaff at Master Page's house and he admits his wrongdoings. Falstaff later tells his men that he plans to seduce Mistress Page and Mistress Ford so that he can have access to their husband's money. He asks his men, Nim and Pistol, to deliver his love letters to Mistress Ford and Mistress Page but they refuse since they consider themselves honest men. Falstaff finds somebody else to deliver the letters and Nim and Pistol decide to tell Ford's and Page's husbands about Falstaff's plan. Mistress Page and Mistress Ford receive the letters and are angered by them. They plan revenge. They will play along with Falstaff to humiliate him. In the meanwhile Nim and Pistol meet with Page and Ford (their husbands) and reveal Falstaff's plot. Mistress Quickly, a messenger, goes to Falstaff with a message from Mistress Ford. She will expect him the following day for a visit. Then Mr Ford, under the disguise of Mister Brooke, enters and tells Falstaff that he has been in love with Mistress Ford for a long time but she has always rejected his advances saying that she doesn't want to cheat on her husband. He argues if Falstaff seduces her then she will lose her honor and won't refuse his advances anymore. Falstaff tells him about his plans to meet her the next morning and later Ford, thinking that his wife actually wants to cheat on him, curses her.

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