The Lady of the House
Hannah Epstein
Mistress Quickly is a prominent figure in Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part I, Henry IV Part II, and Henry V. Referred to in the text mostly as “hostess,” she is an integral part of the tavern experience in the plays. According to Huey-Ling Lee’s article, “The Devil or the Physician: The Politics of Cooking and the Gendering of Cooks in Jonson and Massinger,” women were often involved in what he refers to as the “victualling trade” (261). Lee goes on to say that, “…such work was undertaken by women regularly enough to be identified as one of the ‘women’s’ or ‘housewives’ trades, which, as an early seventeenth-century commentator recommended, should be avoided by men” (261).
Patricia Fumenton also points out that, though taverns were often run as a family enterprise, “Usually the wife was most conspicuous as hostess because the husband was occupied with another job during the day” (485).
Through this lens, the reader gleans a new appreciation for Mistress Quickly. She was not only hostess at the tavern, but must also have been a savvy business woman to keep her house afloat. Her husband is mentioned in passing in Henry IV Part 1 by Hal as being “…an honest man” (III.iii.100), but he does not appear much involved in the day to day running of the business. In the running of the business, Mistress Quickly is sure to keep Falstaff in line in terms of the money he owes her. In Act Three, Scene Three, Mistress Quickly lists for Falstaff the things for which he owes her money, and how much for each. The audience can assume, if she is so clear with a noble about his debts, that she is an exacting hostess, always making sure she gets paid what is due.
Through the lens of tavern hostess, Mistress Quickly can also be seen as a more nurturing, maternal figure. She constantly calls attention to her gender, and identifies in Act Three, Scene Three of Henry IV Part 1 as, “…an honest man’s wife…” (III.iii.127). Her function as a mother figure gives credence to the idea that Hal might have gone to the taverns partially in search of a family. His own mother is rarely mentioned, and never present in the plays.
Patricia Fumenton also points out that, though taverns were often run as a family enterprise, “Usually the wife was most conspicuous as hostess because the husband was occupied with another job during the day” (485).
Through this lens, the reader gleans a new appreciation for Mistress Quickly. She was not only hostess at the tavern, but must also have been a savvy business woman to keep her house afloat. Her husband is mentioned in passing in Henry IV Part 1 by Hal as being “…an honest man” (III.iii.100), but he does not appear much involved in the day to day running of the business. In the running of the business, Mistress Quickly is sure to keep Falstaff in line in terms of the money he owes her. In Act Three, Scene Three, Mistress Quickly lists for Falstaff the things for which he owes her money, and how much for each. The audience can assume, if she is so clear with a noble about his debts, that she is an exacting hostess, always making sure she gets paid what is due.
Through the lens of tavern hostess, Mistress Quickly can also be seen as a more nurturing, maternal figure. She constantly calls attention to her gender, and identifies in Act Three, Scene Three of Henry IV Part 1 as, “…an honest man’s wife…” (III.iii.127). Her function as a mother figure gives credence to the idea that Hal might have gone to the taverns partially in search of a family. His own mother is rarely mentioned, and never present in the plays.