The Merry Wives of Windsor: Act 4, Scene 1 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 4, Scene 1 of The Merry Wives of Windsor from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter Mistress Page, Mistress Quickly, and William. MISTRESS PAGE Is he at Master Ford’s already, think’st thou? MISTRESS QUICKLY Sure he is by this, or will be presently. But truly he is very courageous mad about his throwing into the water. Mistress Ford desires 5 you to come suddenly. MISTRESS PAGE I’ll be with her by and by. I’ll but bring my young man here to school. Enter Sir Hugh Evans. Look where his master comes. ’Tis a playing day, I see.—How now, Sir Hugh, no school today? 10 SIR HUGH No. Master Slender is let the boys leave to play. MISTRESS QUICKLY Blessing of his heart! MISTRESS PAGE Sir Hugh, my husband says my son profits nothing in the world at his book. I pray you, 15 ask him some questions in his accidence. SIR HUGH Come hither, William. Hold up your head. Come. MISTRESS PAGE Come on, sirrah. Hold up your head. Answer your master. Be not afraid. 20 SIR HUGH William, how many numbers is in nouns? WILLIAM Two. MISTRESS QUICKLY Truly, I thought there had been one number more, because they say “ ’Od’s nouns.” SIR HUGH Peace your tattlings!—What is “fair,” 25 William? WILLIAM Pulcher. MISTRESS QUICKLY Polecats? There are fairer things than polecats, sure. SIR HUGH You are a very simplicity ’oman. I pray you, 30 peace.—What is lapis, William? WILLIAM A stone. SIR HUGH And what is “a stone,” William? WILLIAM A pebble. SIR HUGH No. It is lapis. I pray you, remember in your 35 prain. WILLIAM Lapis. SIR HUGH That is a good William. What is he, William, that does lend articles? WILLIAM Articles are borrowed of the pronoun and be 40 thus declined: singulariter, nominativo, hic, haec, hoc. SIR HUGH Nominativo, hig, haeg, hog. Pray you, mark: genitivo, huius. Well, what is your accusative case? WILLIAM Accusativo, hinc. 45 SIR HUGH I pray you, have your remembrance, child. Accusativo, hung, hang, hog.	Mistress Page chats with Mistress Quickly as she attempts to drop off her son at school. Sir Hugh shows up and announces that school has been canceled that day. Mistress Page complains that her little boy (William) is having a hard time with his Latin grammar, and she asks Sir Hugh to give him a mini-tutorial. Sir Hugh proceeds to give little Willy a Latin grammar lesson while Mistress Page and Mistress Quickly stand by and watch.
MISTRESS QUICKLY “Hang-hog” is Latin for bacon, I warrant you. SIR HUGH Leave your prabbles, ’oman.—What is the 50 focative case, William? WILLIAM O—vocativo—O— SIR HUGH Remember, William, focative is caret. MISTRESS QUICKLY And that’s a good root. SIR HUGH ’Oman, forbear. 55 MISTRESS PAGE, to Mistress Quickly Peace! SIR HUGH What is your genitive case plural, William? WILLIAM Genitive case? SIR HUGH Ay. WILLIAM Genitive: horum, harum, horum. 60 MISTRESS QUICKLY Vengeance of Ginny’s case! Fie on her! Never name her, child, if she be a whore. SIR HUGH For shame, ’oman! MISTRESS QUICKLY You do ill to teach the child such words.—He teaches him to hick and to hack, 65 which they’ll do fast enough of themselves, and to call “whorum.”—Fie upon you! SIR HUGH ’Oman, art thou lunatics? Hast thou no understandings for thy cases and the numbers of the genders? Thou art as foolish Christian creatures as 70 I would desires. MISTRESS PAGE, to Mistress Quickly Prithee, hold thy peace. SIR HUGH Show me now, William, some declensions of your pronouns. 75 WILLIAM Forsooth, I have forgot. SIR HUGH It is qui, quae, quod. If you forget your qui’s, your quae’s, and your quod’s, you must be preeches. Go your ways and play, go. MISTRESS PAGE He is a better scholar than I thought he 80 was. SIR HUGH He is a good sprag memory. Farewell, Mistress Page. MISTRESS PAGE Adieu, good Sir Hugh.—Get you home, boy. To Mistress Quickly. Come. We stay too 85 long. They exit.	Mistress Quickly knows zero Latin and winds up misinterpreting the whole lesson, and so she accuses Sir Hugh of teaching little William a bunch of dirty words. Sir Hugh finishes the lesson and calls Mistress Quickly a "lunatic." Brain snack: Most literary critics think that this scene is designed so Shakespeare (ahem... first name William) can give a shout-out to his own experiences as a young schoolboy.

Original Text

Translated Text

Enter Mistress Page, Mistress Quickly, and William.

MISTRESS PAGE
Is he at Master Ford’s already, think’st
thou?

MISTRESS QUICKLY
Sure he is by this, or will be presently.
But truly he is very courageous mad about
his throwing into the water. Mistress Ford desires 5
you to come suddenly.

MISTRESS PAGE
I’ll be with her by and by. I’ll but bring
my young man here to school.

Enter Sir Hugh Evans.

Look where his master comes. ’Tis a playing day, I
see.—How now, Sir Hugh, no school today? 10

SIR HUGH
No. Master Slender is let the boys leave to
play.

MISTRESS QUICKLY
Blessing of his heart!

MISTRESS PAGE Sir Hugh, my husband says my son
profits nothing in the world at his book. I pray you, 15
ask him some questions in his accidence.

SIR HUGH Come hither, William. Hold up your head.
Come.

MISTRESS PAGE
Come on, sirrah. Hold up your head.
Answer your master. Be not afraid. 20

SIR HUGH William, how many numbers is in nouns?

WILLIAM
Two.

MISTRESS QUICKLY
Truly, I thought there had been one
number more, because they say “ ’Od’s nouns.”

SIR HUGH
Peace your tattlings!—What is “fair,” 25
William?

WILLIAM
Pulcher.

MISTRESS QUICKLY
Polecats? There are fairer things
than polecats, sure.

SIR HUGH
You are a very simplicity ’oman. I pray you, 30
peace.—What is lapis, William?

WILLIAM
A stone.

SIR HUGH
And what is “a stone,” William?

WILLIAM A pebble.

SIR HUGH No. It is lapis. I pray you, remember in your 35
prain.

WILLIAM
Lapis.

SIR HUGH That is a good William. What is he, William,
that does lend articles?

WILLIAM Articles are borrowed of the pronoun and be 40
thus declined: singulariter, nominativo, hic, haec,
hoc.

SIR HUGH Nominativo, hig, haeg, hog. Pray you, mark:
genitivo, huius. Well, what is your accusative case?

WILLIAM
Accusativo, hinc. 45

SIR HUGH
I pray you, have your remembrance, child.
Accusativo, hung, hang, hog.

Mistress Page chats with Mistress Quickly as she attempts to drop off her son at school.

Sir Hugh shows up and announces that school has been canceled that day.

Mistress Page complains that her little boy (William) is having a hard time with his Latin grammar, and she asks Sir Hugh to give him a mini-tutorial.

Sir Hugh proceeds to give little Willy a Latin grammar lesson while Mistress Page and Mistress Quickly stand by and watch.

MISTRESS QUICKLY
“Hang-hog” is Latin for bacon, I
warrant you.

SIR HUGH
Leave your prabbles, ’oman.—What is the 50
focative case, William?

WILLIAM
O—vocativo—O—

SIR HUGH
Remember, William, focative is caret.

MISTRESS QUICKLY
And that’s a good root.

SIR HUGH
’Oman, forbear. 55

MISTRESS PAGE, to Mistress Quickly
Peace!

SIR HUGH What is your genitive case plural, William?

WILLIAM
Genitive case?

SIR HUGH
Ay.

WILLIAM Genitive: horum, harum, horum. 60

MISTRESS QUICKLY
Vengeance of Ginny’s case! Fie on
her! Never name her, child, if she be a whore.

SIR HUGH
For shame, ’oman!

MISTRESS QUICKLY
You do ill to teach the child such
words.—He teaches him to hick and to hack, 65
which they’ll do fast enough of themselves, and to
call “whorum.”—Fie upon you!

SIR HUGH
’Oman, art thou lunatics? Hast thou no understandings
for thy cases and the numbers of the
genders? Thou art as foolish Christian creatures as 70
I would desires.

MISTRESS PAGE, to Mistress Quickly
Prithee, hold thy
peace.

SIR HUGH
Show me now, William, some declensions of
your pronouns. 75

WILLIAM
Forsooth, I have forgot.

SIR HUGH
It is qui, quae, quod. If you forget your qui’s,
your quae’s, and your quod’s, you must be
preeches. Go your ways and play, go.

MISTRESS PAGE He is a better scholar than I thought he 80
was.

SIR HUGH
He is a good sprag memory. Farewell, Mistress
Page.

MISTRESS PAGE
Adieu, good Sir Hugh.—Get you home,
boy. To Mistress Quickly. Come. We stay too 85
long.

They exit.

Mistress Quickly knows zero Latin and winds up misinterpreting the whole lesson, and so she accuses Sir Hugh of teaching little William a bunch of dirty words.

Sir Hugh finishes the lesson and calls Mistress Quickly a "lunatic."

Brain snack: Most literary critics think that this scene is designed so Shakespeare (ahem... first name William) can give a shout-out to his own experiences as a young schoolboy.

The Merry Wives of Windsor: Act 4, Scene 1 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 4, Scene 1 of The Merry Wives of Windsor from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text

Translated Text

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