This study examines British adaptations of Shakespeare for children between the years of 1800 and 2000, and pays special attention to the influences on adaptors that govern their artisitic choices. The adaptors examined include Charles and Mary Lamb, Edith Nesbit, Leon Garfield, Beverley Birch, Geraldine McCaughrean, Abigail Frost and Jennifer Mulherin. While the Lambs' adaptation has received critical attention, the other adaptations have received little, if any scholarly analysis, so this work provides a unique insight into the field of Shakespearean studies. "Shaping Shakespeare" participates in the tradition of new historicist criticism, and examines the way in which contemporary educational practices, race relations, the status of women, and Shakespearen scholarship influence the way in which adaptors shape their adaptations of Shakespeare for children.