Mistress Page has received the letter sent to her by Falstaff, and she is surprised and shocked by its contents. The letter is written mostly in prose, and it clearly lacks any sincerity or true emotion. The bit of poetry that ends the letter is simplistic and even childish. In Shakespeare’s plays true love is conveyed by sonnets and clever expressions of love. One would expect more of Shakespeare’s witty character, yet Shakespeare purposely makes the letter pathetic to convey Falstaff’s own pathetic attempts at love. He cannot love. He is totally insincere. And he is desperate for money. The letter that he has written quickly and simply reveals his weakness to both Mistress Page and the audience.
After reading the letter, Mistress Page exclaims, “What a Herod of Jewry is this!” (18). In the medieval mystery plays the Biblical character of Herod was depicted as a loud, raving, and pompous king; and Shakespeare uses the name to suggest more generally an obnoxious and bragging villain. Mistress Page clearly has no interest in the fat knight, and she cannot understand how he could even think that she is attracted to him.
Mistress Page is also angry at Falstaff, and she plans to get revenge against him. Thus, the revenge theme appears again.
Mistress Ford enters, and she is equally as