Shakespeare and (Eco-)Performance History

Seismic shifts in the theatrical meanings of The Merry Wives of Windsor have taken place across the centuries as Shakespeare's frequently performed play has relocated to Windsor's across the world, journeying along the production/ adaptation/ appropriation continuum.

Elizabeth Schafer is Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London.

1. Shakespeare and (Eco-)Performance History: The Merry Wives of Windsor 2. 'A Most pleasaunt and excellent conceited Comedie': Early Performances of Merry Wives and the 1602 Quarto 3. 'Wives May Be Witty and Yet Honest Too' (4.2.96): Eliza Vestris and The Merry Wives of Windsor 4. 'The Truth Being Known' (4.4.62): Ellen Terry and The Merry Wives of Windsor, 1902 5. 'More of the Quarto Than is Usual': Terry Hands's Merry Wives, 1968, 1975, and 1995 6. 'The Fords and the Pages Were Obviously Tory Voters': Bill Alexander RSC, 1985, and 'Girls Hug' Rachel Kavanaugh RSC, 2002 7. Geoffrey Rush's The Merry Wives of Windsor, Brisbane, 1987 8. 'All Gold and Bounty' (1.3.65): Leila Hipólito's As Alegres Comadres, 2003 9. 'Merriness Unbridled': Christopher Luscombe's The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Globe, 2008, 2010 10. 'And nightly [. . .] Look you sing' (5.5.66): Richard Jones's Falstaff, Glyndebourne, 2009, 2013 11. 'Sir John Goes into the Basket': Physical Comedy in Wanawake Wa Heri wa Winsa, Shakespeare's Globe, London, 2012 12. Looking for Herne's Oak 13. The Epilogue