Context

Context William Shakespeare is likely the most influential writer in the English language. The son of a mildly successful glove-maker, Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon in northern England. He married in 1582 and had three children. Around 1590, at the height of the English Renaissance, he left his family behind and traveled to London to work as an actor and playwright. Both public and critical success quickly followed. Shakespeare's career bridged the reigns of Elizabeth I …

…highwayman friend of Hal, Falstaff and the rest. Gadshill seems to be nicknamed after the place on the London road--called Gad's Hill--where he has set up many robberies. Some texts also refer to this place as "Gadshill," instead of "Gad's Hill." Don't get confused--the person and the place are separate entities. Mistress Quickly - Hostess of the Boar's Head Tavern, a seedy dive in Eastcheap, London. Her name has vaguely obscene connotations in Renaissance English.