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 across the world, journeying along the production/adaptation/appropriation continuum.
This (eco-)performance history of Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor not only offers the first in-depth analysis of the play in production, with a particular focus on the representation of merry women, but also utilises the comedy's forest-aware dramaturgy to explore Mistress Page's concept of being 'frugal in my mirth' in relation to sustainable theatre practices. Herne's Oak - the fictitious tree in Windsor Forest where everyone meets in the final scene of the play - is utilised to enable a maverick but ecologically based reframing of the productions of Merry Wives analysed here.
This study engages with gender, physical comedy, and cultural relocations of Windsor across the world to offer new insight into Merry Wives and its theatricality.
| ISBN: | 9780367474218 |
| Publication date: | 14th June 2024 |
| Author: | Elizabeth Schafer |
| Publisher: | Routledge an imprint of Taylor & Francis |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 272 pages |
| Series: | Studies in Performance and Early Modern Drama |
| Genres: |
The arts: general topics Performance art Gender studies, gender groups Theatre studies Classic and pre-20th century plays Literary studies: general Regional / International studies |