Based on the assumption that any translation involves an inherent form of adaptation, this paper focuses on the lexical dimension and describes some of the devices of adaptation found in several French translations of Shakespeare's dramatic work. Despite the fact that utterances not words are the object of translation, yet there are words whose meaning extends beyond their syntagmatic signification. Such is the case for example of the numerous neologisms and puns in Shakespeare's plays. In this particular instance, lexical adaptation cannot be seen as a mere option. The process of lexical adaptation at work reveals several levels of translation: the translator may try to render the motivated structure of a word, its codified signification or its original contribution to the meaning of a text. The fact that these semiological levels do not correspond to each other from one language to another explains why even on the lexical level of a text, the translator has to adapt following a translating strategy which promotes certain semantic effects at the expense of others.