The Merry Wives of Windsor

There are very few places and experiences that one can participate in that make you feel like you have stepped back into time, especially Shakespeare’s time where men wore tights and women wore corsets. Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor is one of these magnificent and unique experiences. Earlier in the week I visited Stratford-upon-Avon and took a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe. In Stratford-upon-Avon I visited the house where Shakespeare was born and grew up, the house he lived in, and the church where he in buried in. The tour of Shakespeare’s Globe taught me more about Shakespeare than I have ever learned before in any English class. These experiences combined made Shakespeare more than just an author who I dreaded reading. He became a person and was more than just a language that I didn’t understand. This was the first time in my life I was excited about going to see a Shakespeare play.


Before the play even started I was amazed by Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. I love the authenticity and intimacy of the venue, everything from the thatched roof to being able to watch the audience’s reaction to Falstaff being carried out in the basket. At first I was not too excited about having to stand throughout the entire play but I really enjoyed the interaction with the actors that it provided. I felt more connected, like I was a part of the whispering schemes of Mistress Ford and Mistress Page while they were plotting against Falstaff. The only time I felt disconnected (and a little annoyed) was at the end of the play when they brought out the stump because I couldn’t see most of the front stage.

The interactive stage combined with the amazing acting and costumes made the performance one that I will never forget. It was the first time I walked away from a Shakespeare experience that I really enjoyed and wished that the performance would last longer.

-Marta Sato