ABSTRACT
The Merry Wives of Windsor has recently experienced a resurgence of critical interest. At times considered one of Shakespeare’s weaker plays, it is often dismissed or marginalized; however, developments in feminist, ecocritical and new historicist criticism have opened up new perspectives and this collection of 18 essays by top Shakespeare scholars sheds fresh light on the play. The detailed introduction by Phyllis Rackin and Evelyn Gajowski provides a historical survey of the play and ties into an evolving critical and cultural context. The book’s sections look in turn at female community/female agency; theatrical alternatives; social and theatrical contexts; desire/sexuality; nature and performance to provide a contemporary critical analysis of the play.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|46 pages
Female community/female agency
chapter 2|13 pages
“Let's consult together” 1
chapter 3|10 pages
“Who hath got the right Anne?”
chapter 4|10 pages
“May we, with the Warrant of Womanhood and the witness of a good conscience, pursue him with any further revenge?”
part II|36 pages
Theatrical alternatives
chapter 6|12 pages
Shakespeare's quantum physics
part III|23 pages
Social and theatrical contexts
part IV|37 pages
Desire/sexuality
part V|24 pages
Nature
part VI|46 pages
Performance