Comedies • c. 1597
The Merry Wives of Windsor: Modern English Translation & Study Guide
The portly knight Sir John Falstaff attempts to seduce two wealthy married women who outsmart him at every turn.
Read The Merry Wives of Windsor Side by Side
Every scene pairs the public-domain original with a line-matched, original modern-English paraphrase. Choose a scene below to begin reading.
- Act 1, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. Windsor. Before PAGE's house.
- Act 1, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. The same.
- Act 1, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. A room in the Garter Inn.
- Act 1, Scene 4 line-by-line translation — SCENE IV. A room in DOCTOR CAIUS' house.
- Act 2, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. Before PAGE'S house.
- Act 2, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. A room in the Garter Inn.
- Act 2, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. A field near Windsor.
- Act 3, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. A field near Frogmore.
- Act 3, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. A street.
- Act 3, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. A room in FORD'S house.
- Act 3, Scene 4 line-by-line translation — SCENE IV. A room in PAGE'S house.
- Act 4, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. A street.
- Act 4, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. A room in FORD'S house.
- Act 4, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. A room in the Garter Inn.
- Act 4, Scene 4 line-by-line translation — SCENE IV. A room in FORD'S house.
- Act 5, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. A room in the Garter Inn.
- Act 5, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. Windsor Park.
- Act 5, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. A street leading to the Park.
- Act 5, Scene 4 line-by-line translation — SCENE IV. Windsor Park.
The Merry Wives of Windsor study pathways
Original text source: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, MIT HTML edition. MIT states that its HTML versions of the plays are placed in the public domain.