How Did Censorship Affect The Writing And Locations Of Shakespeare's Text?

Shakespeare was a writer, expressing himself writing plays and poetry during a very difficult time in England. Politically, it was best to side with the Queen.  Shakespeare changed the location of many of his plays to give some distance so that he could explore issues that came up at home.  If Shakespeare had written a lot of plays about an unmarried Queen on the English throne, he would have been executed, instead, he chose to poke fun at various aspects of Elizabethan society by setting his plays in places like Athens, The Forest of Arden, Italy and Illyria (a fantasy place which some believe signifies America).  The theatres were often closed by the official censor, Lord Chamberlain (whose job existed into the 1960s!), any reason to close them would have pleased many influential puritans.  Shakespeare's comedies are particularly often set abroad, so as not to cause offense.

When he does write about England, in the History plays, he does so with great respect for the dangerous and treacherous route to the crown.  During the reign of King James, theatre flourished and Shakespeare began to explore English topics.