A senior Free Speech Union official has slammed the University of the West of England for treating "not being able to sit through a Shakespeare play" without a trigger warning.
Stephen O'Grady, Legal Officer at the Free Speech Union, expressed disbelief at the Bristol university's extensive list of warnings, which includes alerts for "extreme weather" in The Tempest and even "popping of balloons" in a 2016 stage adaptation.
The Free Speech Union official warned that such measures could impact Britain's entertainment industry, suggesting that if students "can't sit through a Shakespeare play without being upset," they would struggle to produce shows like Wolf Hall or Bridgerton.
Speaking to GB News Stephen O'Grady, Legal Officer at the Free Speech Union said: "A lot a loss for words here. University surely is the place to encounter lots of ideas.
"Frankly, how on earth can you be a university student without realising that some of Shakespeare involves daggers, storms, suicide, all of these things.
"It's preposterous. One wonders, these are drama students who are studying this if they can't sit through a Shakespeare play without being upset, you'd never be able to make a production like Wolf Hall or Bridgerton or anything like that, because you'd never find anybody to star in it.
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"Anything slightly racy with little hint of violence or something like that, they'd simply refuse to participate.
"It's quite ridiculous. One of the things that puzzles me as well is what the point of this is.
"Are they allowed to leave the classroom because of the the balloons popping? Do they get an exemption from having to write an essay on that particular topic and get waved through, waved through the module?
"I still struggle to understand exactly what the end state is here that that they're going for."
The university's content warnings span across 220 of Shakespeare's works and their adaptations, including some of his most famous plays.
For Macbeth, students are cautioned about "family trauma" and "psychological distress," alongside warnings about murder, suicide, violence, and knives.
Romeo and Juliet, the tragic tale of star-crossed lovers, comes with alerts for "death," "suicide," "violence," "knives" and "blood."
The Tempest not only warns of "extreme weather" and "depiction of magic," but also includes specific cautions for theatrical adaptations.
The Winter's Tale received particularly detailed warnings, including "references to wild animal attack" - relating to the famous stage direction "Exit, pursued by a bear."
Even the comedy Much Ado About Nothing hasn't escaped scrutiny, with warnings about "treatment of women" accompanying more general cautions about death and violence.
Students are also warned about "puppetry" and "pregnancy" in various productions, highlighting the extensive nature of the university's warning system.
The University of the West of England defended its position, stating that the content warnings "were previously requested by students with sensory processing issues and experiences of trauma."
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Stephen O'Grady, Legal Officer at the Free Speech Union, expressed disbelief at the Bristol university's extensive list of warnings, which includes alerts for "extreme weather" in The Tempest and even "popping of balloons" in a 2016 stage adaptation.
The Free Speech Union official warned that such measures could impact Britain's entertainment industry, suggesting that if students "can't sit through a Shakespeare play without being upset," they would struggle to produce shows like Wolf Hall or Bridgerton.
Speaking to GB News Stephen O'Grady, Legal Officer at the Free Speech Union said: "A lot a loss for words here. University surely is the place to encounter lots of ideas.
"Frankly, how on earth can you be a university student without realising that some of Shakespeare involves daggers, storms, suicide, all of these things.
"It's preposterous. One wonders, these are drama students who are studying this if they can't sit through a Shakespeare play without being upset, you'd never be able to make a production like Wolf Hall or Bridgerton or anything like that, because you'd never find anybody to star in it.
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"Anything slightly racy with little hint of violence or something like that, they'd simply refuse to participate.
"It's quite ridiculous. One of the things that puzzles me as well is what the point of this is.
"Are they allowed to leave the classroom because of the the balloons popping? Do they get an exemption from having to write an essay on that particular topic and get waved through, waved through the module?
"I still struggle to understand exactly what the end state is here that that they're going for."
The university's content warnings span across 220 of Shakespeare's works and their adaptations, including some of his most famous plays.
For Macbeth, students are cautioned about "family trauma" and "psychological distress," alongside warnings about murder, suicide, violence, and knives.
Romeo and Juliet, the tragic tale of star-crossed lovers, comes with alerts for "death," "suicide," "violence," "knives" and "blood."
The Tempest not only warns of "extreme weather" and "depiction of magic," but also includes specific cautions for theatrical adaptations.
The Winter's Tale received particularly detailed warnings, including "references to wild animal attack" - relating to the famous stage direction "Exit, pursued by a bear."
Even the comedy Much Ado About Nothing hasn't escaped scrutiny, with warnings about "treatment of women" accompanying more general cautions about death and violence.
Students are also warned about "puppetry" and "pregnancy" in various productions, highlighting the extensive nature of the university's warning system.
The University of the West of England defended its position, stating that the content warnings "were previously requested by students with sensory processing issues and experiences of trauma."
Find Out More...