an aristocrat.
Shallow is confused. He thinks that because he is an esquire, he is a minor aristocrat. But he is not one. The term gentleman (used by Slender in line 7) also suggests rank in society. A gentleman was the highest rank a commoner could receive. In fact, Shakespeare himself had purchased this title for his father after achieving financial success in the theater; and when his father died, the title passed on to Shakespeare himself. In Merry Wives Slender does not fully understand the ranking system any more than does Shallow, his Uncle. Shallow may be a gentleman in rank, but that does not make him an aristocrat.
Slender also informs Evans that Shallow has a coat of arms: “They may give the dozen white luces in their coat” (13-14). Both a gentleman and an aristocrat could have a coat of arms, a design symbolizing a family’s heritage and often depicted on a shield.
Coat of Arms