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Abraham Slender
Robert Shallow is a Justice of the Peace who, like Sir John Falstaff, is a visitor to Windsor. Shallow is polite but self-important and stuffy. He’s easily offended—especially by the likes of Falstaff. In the first scene of Act 1, Shallow is beside himself with indignation because Falstaff has been poaching his deer and abusing his hunting lodge and gamekeeper. Falstaff cheerfully refuses to apologize for his behavior, but when Sir Hugh Evans and Master Page ask the men to put the matter aside, they agree. Shallow also urges his nephew, Abraham Slender, to seek Anne Page’s hand in marriage.
Robert Shallow Quotes in The Merry Wives of Windsor
The The Merry Wives of Windsor quotes below are all either spoken by Robert Shallow or refer to Robert Shallow. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 1, Scene 1 Quotes
SIR HUGH: There is Anne Page, which is daughter to Master Thomas Page, which is pretty virginity.
SLENDER: Anne Page? She has brown hair and speaks small like a woman?
SIR HUGH: It is that fery person for all the ‘orld, as just as you will desire. And seven hundred pounds of moneys, and gold, and silver, is her grandsire upon his death’s bed (Got deliver to a joyful resurrections!) give, when she is able to overtake seventeen years old. It were a goot motion if we leave our pribbles and prabbles, and desire a marriage between Master Abraham and Mistress Anne Page.
SLENDER: Did her grandsire leave her seven hundred pound?
SIR HUGH: Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny.
SLENDER: I know the young gentlewoman. She has good gifts.
SIR HUGH: Seven hundred pounds and possibilities is goot gifts.
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After briefly discussing Falstaff’s offenses, Sir Hugh, Slender, and Shallow turn to the topic of Anne Page while they wait for the rest of their party to arrive. Since they’re at the Pages’ house, Sir Hugh takes the opportunity to pitch Anne as a wife for Slender. Together, they establish her virtues: Anne is pretty, virginal, and mild-mannered. Slender seems at least somewhat interested in these attributes, acknowledging that she fits his idea of what womanhood should be and has “good gifts” (i.e. is physically attractive). However, Sir Hugh pointedly directs his attention back to what he believes is the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis.
FALSTAFF: Now, Master Shallow, you’ll complain of me to the king?
SHALLOW: Knight, you have beaten my men, killed my deer, and broke open my lodge.
FALSTAFF: But not kissed your keeper’s daughter.
SHALLOW: Tut, a pin. This shall be answered.
FALSTAFF: I will answer it straight: I have done all this. That is now answered.
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In this passage, Falstaff fights back against Slender and Shallow after Shallow accuses the knight of abusing his hunting grounds. Falstaff, of course, did exactly that—and he unrepentantly admits to it. This is the audience’s first real look at Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor, and he owns the scene, setting Shallow up for a brutally simple smackdown. After Shallow reads out his list of charges against Falstaff, Falstaff brings up the topic of the gamekeeper’s daughter, as if to point out one area where he’s innocent: “But not kissed your keeper’s daughter,” he butts in. Shallow, thinking he Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dig
ANNE: I pray you sir, walk in.
SLENDER: I had rather walk here, I thank you. I bruised my shin th’ other day with playing at sword and dagger with a master of fence—three veneys for a dish of stewed prunes—and, by my troth, I cannot abide the smell of hot meat since.
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At the urging of Sir Hugh and his uncle Shallow, Slender has resolved to court Anne Page for her father and grandfather’s money and connections. Although he seems earnest about doing his best to woo her, his lack of real affection or interest stands in his way when he talks to her, and the resulting conversation is very awkward. Slender also isn’t a brilliant or witty character to begin with—so even when Anne feeds him short, polite responses, he rambles on and on. In this passage, he gives Anne an absurd set of reasons for his reluctance to come inside: Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequ
Act 2, Scene 3 Quotes
HOST (To Caius): A word, Monsieur Mockwater.
DOCTOR CAIUS: “Mockvater”? Vat is dat?
HOST: “Mockwater,” in our English tongue, is “valor,” bully.
DOCTOR CAIUS: By gar, then I have as much mockvater as de Englishman. Scurvy jack-dog priest! By gar, me vill cut his ears.
HOST: He will clapper-claw thee tightly, bully.
DOCTOR CAIUS: “Clapper-de-claw”? Vat is dat ?
HOST : That is, he will make amends.
DOCTOR CAIUS: By gar, me do look he shall clapper-de-claw me, for, by gar, me will have it.
HOST: And I will provoke him to ‘t, or let him wag.
DOCTOR CAIUS: Me tank you for dat.
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Doctor Caius and Sir Hugh agree to a duel after Doctor Caius takes issue with Sir Hugh’s self-involvement with Slender’s courting of Anne Page. Although both men show up on the appointed day, ready to fight, the Host of the Garter Inn plays a trick on them: he gives the men different meeting-places, so that he has enough time to talk to them individually and make peace between them. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t have a bit of fun with them first. In this scene, the Host mocks Doctor Caius to his face even as he encourages him to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto volu
Act 4, Scene 2 Quotes
MISTRESS FORD (calling offstage): What ho, Mistress Page! Come you and the old woman down. My husband will come into the chamber.
FORD: “Old woman”? What old woman’s that?
MISTRESS FORD: Why, it is my maid’s aunt of Brentford.
FORD: A witch, a quean, an old cozening quean! Have I not forbid her my house? She comes of errands, does she? We are simple men; we do not know what’s brought to pass under the profession of fortune-telling. She works by charms, by spells, by th’ figure, and such daubery as this is, beyond our element. We know nothing.— Come down, you witch, you hag, you! Come down, I say!
[Ford seizes a cudgel.]
MISTRESS FORD: Nay, good sweet husband!—Good gentlemen, let him not strike the old woman.
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Just as Mistress Page and Mistress Ford planned, Master Ford bursts into the house while Falstaff is present. He searches the laundry basket where Falstaff hid last time he was foiled and finds nothing—all while his friends and neighbors look on in pity and disgust at Master Ford’s apparent lunacy. Now, Master Ford’s pent-up fury and humiliation have no target—until Falstaff, dressed as an old lady Master Ford hates, enters the scene as the perfect scapegoat. The beating that ensues is played for laughs, since the audience knows that it’s not a defenseless old woman Master Ford is hitting, but Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint ape
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Robert Shallow Character Timeline in The Merry Wives of Windsor
The timeline below shows where the character Robert Shallow appears in The Merry Wives of Windsor. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1, Scene 1
...local parson Sir Hugh Evans tries to soothe the visiting Justice of the Peace, Justice Shallow. Justice Shallow and his young nephew Abraham Slender have recently run into some trouble with...
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...the Pages’ house, and Master Page comes out to greet them. He informs Sir Hugh, Shallow, and Slender that Sir John Falstaff is inside the house. As Master Page expresses his...
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...that he’s laid eyes on her. Slender nervously replies that he will do whatever Justice Shallow thinks best, even if he isn’t particularly taken with Anne. Anne comes outside to invite...
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Act 2, Scene 1
...her own wit and temper. Page catches sight of the Host of the Garter and Shallow approaching and calls out to them. The Host and Shallow greet Master Ford and Master...
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Act 2, Scene 3
...arrived. Impatient, Doctor Caius tries to get Rugby to spar with him, but Master Page, Shallow, Slender, and the Host enter before Rugby picks up a sword. They greet Doctor Caius...
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Act 3, Scene 1
...to meet in hopes that he could resolve their fight without bloodshed. After the Host, Shallow, Master Page, and Slender exit, Sir Hugh and Doctor Caius decide to stop fighting and...
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Act 3, Scene 2
Master Ford encounters Master Page, Slender, Shallow, the Host of the Garter, Sir Hugh, Doctor Caius, and Rugby on the street. After...
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Act 3, Scene 4
Mistress Quickly, Shallow, and Slender enter. Shallow asks Mistress Quickly to make an opening for Slender to address...
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...coming to his house after he already expressed his disapproval of the match. Master Page, Shallow, and Slender go inside. Mistress Quickly nudges Fenton to talk to Mistress Page, and he...
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Act 4, Scene 2
...accuses her of working magic. As Mistress Page, Mistress Ford, Sir Hugh, Doctor Caius, and Shallow watch, Master Ford beats Falstaff with a cudgel.
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Act 5, Scene 2
As Master Page, Shallow, and Slender make their way toward their hiding spot for the night’s entertainment, Master Page...
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