Banned Plays

As public tastes change, so does the nature of popular drama. In the fifth century BCE, Aristophanes's Lysistrata attracted censors for its themes of wifely rebellion and sex. From the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries, plays were censored primarily for religious or political reasons. In the nineteenth century, social and sexual reasons for censorship emerged, and modern moralists have objected to works by such playwrights as Arthur Miller, Eugene O'Neill, and Lillian Hellman. Most recently, plays dealing with topics such as homosexuality and AIDS have garnered unwanted attention from censors.

This comprehensive guide outlines the censorship history of 125 classic plays from ancient times to the present. Each entry presents the name(s) under which the play has appeared, the date it was produced and country of original production, a summary of the play, its censorship history, and suggestions for further reading.