Mistress Quickly Delivers the Message — Merry Wives II.ii — DT:FC 2-3 Person Scene

DT:FC 2-3 Person Scene

Mistress Quickly Delivers the Message — Merry Wives II.ii

The Merry Wives of Windsor

intermediate

How to cast this scene

Draw four names from a hat. No type casting of any kind. With four Players in motion this scene is inherently comic — let that energy in. Swap roles after each read-through; give priority to Players who have not yet played Quickly or Falstaff.

Say it right

Falstaff: FAL-staff
Quickly: KWIK-lee
Windsor: WIN-zer
Ford: Ford (rhymes with lord)

Who’s who

Mistress Quickly: Gossipy, self-important, warm-hearted. She thrives on being the messenger — and slightly exaggerates everything.
Falstaff: Enormous appetite, enormous ego, enormous self-delusion. He absolutely believes the ladies are in love with him.
Robin (Page): The errand boy — young, quick, watching everything, saying little.
Ford (disguised as Brook): Jealous husband undercover. Paying Falstaff to pursue his own wife so he can catch her — and catch her in what, exactly?

The scene

MISTRESS QUICKLY. Marry, this is the short and the long of it: you have brought her into such a canaries as ’tis wonderful. The best courtier of them all, when the court lay at Windsor, could never have brought her to such a canary. Yet there has been knights, and lords, and gentlemen, with their coaches; I warrant you, coach after coach, letter after letter, gift after gift; smelling so sweetly, all musk; and so rushling, I warrant you, in silk and gold; and in such alligant terms; and in such wine and sugar of the best and the fairest, that would have won any woman’s heart. ….

FALSTAFF. This is well; heaven’s blessing on your sweet face! …. I love thee; help me hence. Let me see thee off.

MISTRESS QUICKLY. Will you go, Master Ford?

FORD (as BROOK). I would your worship would grant me that.

FALSTAFF. Master Brook, thou shalt know I will predominate over the peasant, and thou shalt lie with his wife. Come to me soon at night: Ford’s a knave, and I will aggravate his stile; thou, Master Brook, shalt know him for knave and cuckold. Come to me soon at night.

[Exit FALSTAFF.]

FORD. What a damn’d Epicurean rascal is this! My heart is ready to crack with impatience. Who says this is improvident jealousy? My wife hath sent to him; the hour is fix’d; the match is made. Would any man have thought this? …. God be prais’d for my jealousy! Eleven o’clock the hour; I will prevent this, detect my wife, be reveng’d on Falstaff, and laugh at Ford. ….

[Exit FORD.]

MISTRESS QUICKLY. [To ROBIN] Hark you, sirrah — carry this letter to Master Fenton; take him this quickly, lest he have too much on his plate. Make haste!

ROBIN. I will, mistress.

[Exit ROBIN.]

There’s also a raw two-person Quickly/Falstaff scene at Merry Wives II.ii → without the DT:FC wrapper — coming in a future task. Compare the two treatments.

Facilitator notes

Four-character scenes need clear spatial logic from the start. Establish where each Player lives in the space before the scene begins. Quickly should be in perpetual motion; Falstaff planted and receiving. Notice how comic timing depends on someone being still while someone else moves.

Reflect together

What does Quickly’s energy tell us about her relationship with Falstaff?
When does Falstaff’s self-delusion become funny rather than sad?
How does Ford (as Brook) keep his real motive hidden — and does he?
Notice the rhythm of Quickly’s speech. Try it faster, then slower. What changes?
Who is actually in control of this scene?

Wrap up

Now let’s share:

Two things I liked…
One thing I wonder…