Shakespearean performances regularly take place at both historic sites and locations with complex resonances, such as Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London and the royal castle of Hamlet – Elsinore – in Denmark. The present issue of the Shakespeare International Yearbook examines the impact of specificities such as festivals and performance sites on our understanding of Shakespeare and globalization. Contributions survey the present state of Shakespeare studies and address issues that are fundamental to our interpretive encounter with Shakespeare's work and his time, across the whole spectrum of his literary output.