"That's meat and drink to me, now. I have
seen Sackerson loose twenty times, and have taken
him by the chain. But, I warrant you, the women
have so cried and shrieked at it that it passed. But
women, indeed, cannot abide 'em; they are very ill-favored
rough things."
In this passage, Slender attempts to impress Anne by explaining how is he unaffected by the gruesome sport of bear-baiting (a common practice in early modern England, in which bears were chained up and attacked by a pack of dogs). This quotation is meant to mock Slender, and in so doing it calls into question the notion that masculinity is defined by a tolerance for violence. Anne, of course, is uninterested in Slender and prefers the much more sensitive and genuine affections of Fenton.
“I have writ me here a letter to her: and here another to Page's wife, who even now gave me good eyes too, examined my parts with most judicious oeillades; sometimes the beam of her view gilded my foot, sometimes my portly belly.”
The letters to which Sir John refers are the engine that drives the narrative. His comic obliviousness is also demonstrated in this quotation, as he perceives that Mistress Page has been admiring his foot and his fat stomach. Falstaff's boastfulness is one element of his character that drew audiences to him, as he was surprisingly self-assured despite his unappealing nature.
“There is no remedy; I must cony-catch; I must shift.”
Falstaff seems to spend most of his time attempting to avoid financial distress after making poor financial decisions. He has talent for using charm and deception to keep him permanently away from ruin, but it is a life filled with scheme. What he means when he says he must “cony-catch” is perhaps not as archaic as it seems. Falstaff is making plain to his friends how this particular bit of trickery will play out, as he plans to "con" or swindle the wives of Windsor.
“Why, then the world's mine oyster.
Which I with sword will open.”
This is a quote containing a famous metaphor for having infinite opportunities. Notice that the source for this phrase carries a slightly altered connotation, however. Usually, when someone says the world is their oyster, they mean that they are uninhibited when it comes to what they can claim for themselves. Here, however, the indication is that Pistol is threatening Falstaff (and others) who will not lend him money with violence.
"Why, look where he comes, and my
good man too. He's as far from jealousy as I am
from giving him cause, and that, I hope, is an
unmeasurable distance."
Just as Mistress Ford expresses that her husband would be overcome with jealousy if he saw Falstaff's letter, Mistress Page responds that her husband is as jealous as she is guilty of infidelity (that is, not at all). This quotation is important because it uses the two women – and the relationships with their husbands – as foils for one another. Mistress Ford lives in a patriarchal relationship in which her husband sees her as his possession, while Mistress Page's relationship with her husband is more mutual and based on trust.
“Alas the day! good heart, that was not her fault:
she does so take on with her men; they mistook their erection.”
One thing which made The Merry Wives of Windsor more popular in its day than it is now is the abundance of low-humor delivered through puns, malapropisms, and mispronunciations. While the joke in this particular quote was a common trope, especially for the character of Misstress Quickly, the humor that derives from the vagaries of the English language are not always so apparent for contemporary readers. For those who get the truly impressive abundance of “dirty” jokes, however, the play rises to a much higher level of hilarity.
“Hang him, dishonest varlet! We cannot misuse him enough.
We'll leave a proof by that which we will do,
Wives may be merry, and yet honest, too.
We do not act that often jest and laugh.
'Tis old but true: 'still swine eats all the draff.'’
This quote is often used to provide background for why some critics find the play disappointing. Mistress Page is here something of an affront to fans of the Falstaff who first appears in in Henry IV, Part I. Some argue it is simply too difficult to imagine that character ever coming under such a harsh thumb of a woman as is offered here. This Falstaff who more than held his own with the sly and cunning Prince Hal (or at least appears to) has been twisted into a mere shell of his former self.
"I do begin to perceive that I am made an ass."
The fat, drunken, larger-than-life rogue with an arguably superb wit is here reduced not merely to recognizing himself made a fool, but voicing that realization in a shockingly mundane way. This quotation is one that would have sounded, to early modern audiences, entirely out of character for the Falstaff they had come to love. As such, the play – whether intentionally or not – complicates Falstaff's character in the Shakespearean universe as someone who could be on the receiving end of a scheme or prank.
"'Seese' and 'putter'! have I lived to stand at the
taunt of one that makes fritters of English? This
is enough to be the decay of lust and late-walking
through the realm."
When Sir Hugh Evans insults Falstaff in his Welsh accent, Falstaff responds with this insult. For Falstaff, his mastery of the English language is a source of both personal and national pride. Here, he makes fun of Evans's accent at the same time he finds it impossible to be on the receiving end of an insult lodged by someone who cannot speak his language nearly as deftly.
"Good husband, let us every one go home
And laugh this sport o'er by a country fire—
Sir John and all."
At the end of the play, Mistress Page announces that Falstaff will be invited to Anne's wedding feast, even though he has caused so much conflict over the course of the play. This quotation is more than just a traditional comic "happy ending," however. It also showcases how the emerging English middle class is welcoming and inclusive, as they allow Falstaff to join their celebrations and even welcome Fenton into their family despite his aristocratic status.
