Adaptation is the process or state of changing to fit new circumstances or conditions, or the resulting change (Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.). When something adapts, or is adapted, it retains the basic content of its former self while taking on new qualities. When a story is adapted, either to a different medium than the one originally used or to a different time or place, the adaptation shows a new interpretation of the story and gives insights into the mindset of the individual that adapted it and the society that created that mind.

Some of the most repeatedly adapted stories are those of Shakespeare's plays. Already adaptations themselves, these stories have been retold over and over again ever since the Immortal Bard put them down on paper. Shakespeare's plays are constantly being reinterpreted and each new interpretation...