"Why, then the world's mine oyster. Which I with sword will open" (2.2).
This metaphor is frequently quoted in contemporary speech to imply that one's opportunities are unlimited. In the context of the play, however, Pistol makes this comment as a type of threat to Falstaff and anyone else who refuses to lend him money. He compares the world to an oyster, which one must pry open with a knife, suggesting that he will likely acquire his money through violence.
"Mistress Anne Page? She has brown hair, and speaks small like a woman" (1.1).
Slender's simile in Act One will likely seem strange to contemporary readers, as he compares Anne Page to a soft-spoken woman – precisely what she is. This simile gains greater depth and more comic resonance, however, when once considers that female roles in early modern English theater were played by boys or young men. This remark also foreshadows the end of the play, when Slender mistakes a boy dressed in green for Anne and accidentally marries him.
"Sometimes the beam of her view gilded my foot, sometimes my portly belly" (1.3).
In this quotation, Falstaff brags about the way that Mistress Ford looks at him. In reality, of course, she does not pay him any attention and is only manipulating him to get revenge and stoke her husband's jealousy. Here, Falstaff uses a metaphor to compare Mistress Ford's looks to the sun's rays, emphasizing his own eminence as the subject of the sun's desire.
"No, he shall not knit a knot in his fortunes with the finger of my substance" (3.2)
When the Host asks Page what kind of suitor he prefers for Anne, he is adamant that he does not approve of Fenton. Here, Page uses a metaphor to describe his mistrust of Fenton regarding financial matters. He thinks that Fenton is only interested in Anne for her dowry, as he squandered away his money in irresponsible pursuits. Page compares Fenton's marriage to Anne as a "knot" that will only be tied with Page's own money.
"Why, this is lunatics! This is mad as a mad dog!" (4.1).
Similar to Slender’s observation of Mistress Page, Sir Hugh Evans makes a comparison of something that really does not need a simile at all. Just as Slender compares a woman to being a woman, so does Evans compare madness to being mad. This simile emphasizes Evans's misuse of the English language, an attribute of his Welsh background for which other characters are constantly making fun of him.
