The Oblivious, Self-Centered Wives of Windsor

The final acts of the play reveal an overarching theme of self-serving agendas played out by characters who are too self-involved to notice what is right before there eyes. This can be seen with the deception of Falstaff, who is too concerned with luring Mistress Ford away from her husband to realize the trickery and humiliation that is being carried out at his expense.  Not only is Falstaff being set up for public embarrassment, but because of his lustful desire for a married woman, he is blind to the fact that it is the very “love” of his life, Mistress Ford, along with her devious friend Mistress Page, who are out to see him fail.  However, Falstaff is not the only character suffering from a swollen ego which inhibits their ability to see clearly.  Page and Ford, both entranced with exposing their wive’s relationship with Falstaff, throw away any semblance trust that might have once existed with Mistress Page and Mistress Ford. Their uncontrollable need to catch Falstaff has made them oblivious to the fact that their own wive’s are on their side. This blinding self-indulgence can also be seen with the final effort to shame Falstaff and his lust for Mistress Ford.  While attempting to teach Falstaff a lesson in morality and virtue, Page and his wife compete to secretly marry off their daughter, Anne, to their favorited suitor.  Only concerned with getting what they want, the pair is utterly oblivious to their own daughters opinion on the matter.  Needless to say, what has been boiling under the surface of this entire play has been made into a reoccurring pattern towards the climax of the play.  Shakespeare has successfully illustrated how egos and self-serving triumphs have been a driving force with Merry Wives of Windsor from the beginning.