|
Table of Contents | Printable Version Act II, Scene 3 Caius, along with Rugby, waits for Sir Evans at the set meeting place for the duel. The host of the Garter Inn, Shallow, Slender, and Page enter in order to watch the "fun." The host speaks to Caius and persuades him to go with him to Frogmore, where he will be able to meet Anne Page. At the same time, he covertly sends the others to find Evans, who as it happens, is also at Frogmore.
Even though this scene is brief, it helps to thicken the plot. The duel between Sir Evans and Caius has been planned and is set to take place. In fact, the scene opens with Caius waiting for the arrival of Evans. The duel is a source of amusement for the other characters, who arrive on the scene to watch the "fun". The host of the Garter Inn, seeing that Evans has not yet arrived for the duel, persuades Caius to come with him to Frogmore, where he will find Anne Page. This is the host's ploy to bring Evans and Caius together in Frogmore, a small village on the opposite side of Windsor. The scene is once again filled with humor. The host pokes fun at Caius and takes advantage of his poor English. When the host says 'cried game,' it means that the chase is on (the game has been spotted). Caius assumes that Evans is the 'game,' not realizing that he himself is the game as well. When the host says, "I will be thy adversary toward Anne Page," Caius is misled into thinking that he means 'advocate,' while the host really means the opposite. Table of Contents | Printable Version |