There are two major attitudes towards the translation of theatre: a retrospective one and a prospective one. Retrospective translators consider the source text as a unique literary texts which requires an optimal rendition in the target language, restoring the source text in an optimum way, including the source culture, literary tradition, and dramatic conventions. In their view the performed referent is prior to the text. Prospective translators aim at texts that are acceptable in the target culture and the performed referents come after the translated text. The aim of the present article is 1) to show that modern Shakespeare translations pursue a liberation in regard to the source text and have a prospective nature; 2) to show that there is a relation between translation shift, translation attitudes, the position of translators within the receiving theatrical system and their opinions on theatrical moderation. The author analyses three translators, Courteaux, Claus and Decorte in order to verify whether their opinions and their status of specialist on Shakespeare and innovator are reflected in their translation behaviour.