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MISTRESS FORD Nay, I will consent to act any villainy against him that may not sully the chariness of our honesty. O, that my husband saw this letter! It would give eternal food to his jealousy.
MISTRESS PAGE 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.
MISTRESS FORD You are the happier woman. (2.1.98–106)
In this exchange, Mistresses Ford and Page consider the possibility of getting back at the lustful Falstaff for daring to try to seduce them. Already we can see that both women are virtuous and faithful, though they are also excited by the prospect of a lively bit of revenge. They agree to engage in “any villainy” against Falstaff provided that they don’t compromise their “honesty.” This is clearly easier said than done, since even if they remain true to their husbands, that doesn’t ensure that their husbands will believe them. Mistress Ford is particularly unfortunate to have a husband who is predisposed to jealousy. This situation is constraining for her, which leads her to insist that Mistress Page is “the happier woman.”
I will rather trust a Fleming with my butter, Parson Hugh the Welshman with my cheese, an Irishman with my aquavitae bottle, or a thief to walk my ambling gelding, than my wife with herself. (2.2.309–313)
Master Ford utters these words to himself after his first conversation with Falstaff in the guise of “Master Brook.” The purpose of Ford’s visit was to gain intel on his wife’s fidelity. However, he essentially arranged a self-fulfilling prophecy by hiring Falstaff to have sex with her, the idea being that he could then catch the lovers in the act. Falstaff agreed to this proposition and spoke in his characteristically boastful way, which inflamed Ford’s jealousy. In these lines, however, Ford focuses his fury on his wife’s perceived untrustworthiness. His anger is palpable and suggests impending threat.
And nightly, meadow fairies, look you sing,
Like to the Garter’s compass, in a ring.
Th’ expressure that it bears, green let it be,
More fertile-fresh than all the field to see;
And Honi soit qui mal y pense write
In em’rald tufts, flowers purple, blue, and white,
Like sapphire, pearl, and rich embroidery,
Buckled below fair knighthood’s bending knee. (5.5.70–77)
Mistress Quickly—or just the actor playing her—speaks these words while in costume as the Fairy Queen. As she instructs her host of fairies and goblins to circle Falstaff, she likens the shape “to the Garter’s compass, in a ring.” This phrase references the famous Order of the Garter, the institution of chivalry founded by King Edward III. The story goes that Edward was seen wearing a certain woman’s garter, which could have been interpreted as a sign that he was romantically involved with her. However, he cautioned his knights against jumping to conclusions. Hence the Order of the Garter’s motto: Honi soit qui mal y pense, meaning “Shame on him who thinks evil of it.” This motto insists on the danger of the distrusting gaze, which is a fitting credo for a play so full of suspicion.
