Much ado about nothing.
A UK university has bizarrely issued more than 200 trigger warnings on classic works by William Shakespeare — even flagging harmless things such as storms, extreme weather and “popping of balloons.”
The University of the West of England issued the warnings after a series of complaints from sensitive drama students, according to the Sun — cautioning over the Bard’s most famous works, including “Macbeth,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “the Tempest.”
It quickly sparked outrage, with author Toby Young, the leader of the UK’s Free Speech Union, saying: “If I was a University of the West of England drama student, I’d be furious about being treated like such a snowflake.”
The 220 warnings included versions of adaptations of Shakespeare’s works for the theater as well as mainstream TV, including national broadcaster the BBC.
“Macbeth” has content warnings for blood as well as “murder, suicide, violence, knives, and family trauma,” while the timeless love story “Romeo and Juliet” is flagged for references to “suicide, distress, and mourning.”
Students are warned that “the Winter’s Tale” has “accusations of adultery” and “references to wild animal attack.”
Most bizarrely, “the Tempest” was flagged for “extreme weather” and “storms” — and for a stage adaption including “the popping of balloons,” the report noted.
A spokesperson from the Bristol-based University blamed the move on students.
“Content warnings were previously requested by students with sensory processing issues and experiences of trauma,” the rep said.
The UWE’s trigger warnings are the latest move by universities in the United Kingdom to flag content in courses.
In October, The University of Nottingham placed warnings on Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales over “expressions of Christian faith,” the Telegraph reported.
In November, biology students at the University of Reading were warned of potentially upsetting depictions of the human body, the outlet also reported.
