A transformation occurs when a text, composed in its own set of values and contexts is adapted to suit a different context. The new text resonates the old and the old informs the new. The ideas associated with each text remain essentially valid despite their introduction to a new set of social, cultural and historical circumstances. Two such texts are Hamlet, by Shakespeare and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead, by Tom Stoppard. Both texts explore similar values regarding existence and the nature of humanity. However, the difference lies in the fact that the values are explored from different directions and are projected via different techniques.

The context in which a text is composed ultimately shapes its form, meaning and thus the values it contains. There are common values in Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead but the texts explore each one from a shifted perspective. This is...