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Mistress Page is one of the two “merry wives” referenced in the play’s title, the other being her friend and neighbor, Mistress Ford. Mistress Page is a shrewd woman who takes care to protect her honor, though she also derives pleasure from playing tricks on others. In this way, she is an unconventional figure for “citizen comedy.” This genre tends to feature women of two distinct types: proper wives, who are virtuous but boring, and merry wives, who are lascivious and lively. As Mistress Page puts it, however, “Wives may be merry and yet honest too” (4.2.105). Thus, when the Mistresses receive identical letters from the knight Sir John Falstaff, they decide to make a show of agreeing to his seduction, but with the intention of teaching him a lesson by humiliating him. The scenarios they orchestrate to mock this man are hilariously ingenious, and Mistress Page proves to be a consummate actress. She plays a key role in the planning and execution of Falstaff’s public shaming, and in doing so she helps Mistress Ford demonstrate her honor to her jealous husband.
That said, Mistress Page also has a lesson to learn in this play. Just as Ford distrusts both Mistresses in their ability to maintain their virtue, both Mistress Page and her husband distrust their daughter to make a wise decision about whom to marry. It’s clear to the audience from early on that Anne’s favored suitor is Fenton, the gentleman whom the Host describes as a paragon of refinement: “He capers, he dances, he has eyes of youth, he writes verses, he speaks holiday, he smells April and May” (3.2.65–67). Master Page thinks Fenton, who is financially down on his luck, only wants to marry Anne for the dowry. Hence, he wants her to marry the financially—though not intellectually—well-endowed Slender. For her part, Mistress Page doesn’t seem to have anything against Fenton, and she even shows some sympathy with her daughter’s preference. Even so, she personally thinks Anne should marry the well-connected Doctor Caius, and she actively conspires to ensure this outcome. In the end, though, Anne refuses both of her parents, evading their tricks and marrying Fenton on the sly. To their credit, both Master and Mistress Page accept her decision and welcome Fenton to the family.
