The collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital shaming. Violence against women. Sexual bullying. Racial slurs and injustice. These are just some of the problems faced by today-s young adults. Liberating Shakespeare explores how adaptations of Shakespeare-s plays can be used to empower young audiences by addressing issues of oppression, trauma and resistance. Showcasing a wide variety of approaches to understanding, adapting and teaching Shakespeare, this collection examines the significant number of Shakespeare adaptations targeting adolescent audiences in the past 25 years. It examines a wide variety of creative works made for and by young people that harness the power of Shakespeare to address some of the most pressing questions in contemporary culture - exploring themes of violence, race relations and intersectionality. The contributors to this volume consider whether the representations of characters and situations in YA Shakespeare can function as empowering models
