Fenton is speaking with Anne Page in front of her house. Fenton is unhappy that Master Page will not accept him as a suitor to his daughter; so, he tells Anne, “Thou must be thyself” (3). He means that Anne must make the decision for herself as to whom she will marry. He means that she will need to go against her father’s wishes if she does not wish to marry Slender.
Fenton truthfully notes that her father objects to him because he was rich and spoiled and wild in his youth. Master Page believes that Fenton wants to marry Anne for money because his estate is in debt. Fenton freely admits that Page’s wealth first drew Anne to his attention. However, now that he has come to know Anne, he loves her for herself; and he knows that if she marries him without her father’s permission, she will receive none of her inheritance. But Fenton is a true lover, and he values Anne for her own good qualities:
Yet, wooing thee, I found thee of more value Than stamps in gold or sums in sealèd bags, And ‘tis the very riches of thyself
That now I aim at. (15-18)
Anne urges Fenton to continue seeking her father’s permission, but before she can say much more, Shallow, Slender, and Mistress Quickly approach them.
While Mistress Quickly draws Fenton to one