In the Restoration era, Shakespeare’s portrayal of women was often sanitized to align with the period’s idealized view of femininity. Women were seen as gentle, refined, and devoid of sexual awareness, which led to significant alterations in his works. For instance, Davenant’s adaptation of Hamlet transformed Ophelia from a witty and sexually aware character into a silent figure, presumably embarrassed or ignorant of Hamlet’s suggestive banter. In the original text, Ophelia engages in clever exchanges filled with double meanings, showcasing her awareness and involvement in the play's sexual undertones.

Interestingly, the introduction of female actors during the Restoration also resulted in adaptations that heightened the sexual content of Shakespeare’s plays. A notable example is Dryden’s 1670 rendition of The Tempest, where he introduced Miranda’s twin sister, Dorinda, who brought a new level of sexual innuendo to the play.

These adaptations became the standard acting texts of the eighteenth century, so much so that many believed they were Shakespeare’s original works. When David Garrick, a prominent actor-manager of the mid-1700s, attempted to stage Macbeth as Shakespeare wrote it, audiences accustomed to the altered versions protested. Garrick ultimately struck a balance by reintegrating some original dialogue while making his own changes, like excluding Lady Macduff’s death scene and adding a moralistic ending for Macbeth. Similarly, his version of Hamlet excluded the grave-diggers, deeming their humor unsuitable for a tragedy. Colley Cibber’s adaptation of Richard III in 1700 remained influential until the nineteenth century, with some lines enduring into Laurence Olivier’s 1955 film adaptation.

The eighteenth century’s attitudes toward Shakespeare were further illustrated in 1795 by the infamous forgery of William Henry Ireland. He altered King Lear, presenting a sanitized version as Shakespeare’s original manuscript, fooling many at the time. Ireland later confessed to "cleaning up" the text to conform to societal expectations, as people struggled to reconcile Shakespeare with what they viewed as inappropriate ribaldry. Furthermore, King Lear was subject to political censorship, banned from the English stage from 1788 to 1820 due to its themes of madness, out of deference to George III’s mental health issues.