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Character Role Analysis

Master Page and Master Ford

Master Ford and Master Page may be two married, middle-class BFFs, but they couldn't be more different. Shakespeare goes out of his way to show us that Ford is the worst husband EVAR. He's crazy jealous, doesn't trust his wife, and hates women in general.

Think about it. He spends 99% of his time trying to catch his wife in bed with another man and he's the kind of guy who won't hesitate to beat up an old lady. Page, on the other hand, is laid back, trusts his wife completely, and is the kind of guy 17th century women want to marry. Even Mistress Quickly gushes that "Master Page" is a great guy and that "Never a wife in / Windsor leads a better life than [Mistress Page] does" (2.2.116-117). We know who we're marrying.