Adaptation is clearly prevalent in recent times. Since the invention of cinema, countless classic stories have been adapted over and over again to fit new times and new settings. However, as Linda Hutcheon notes, “Shakespeare moved the stories of his culture from the page to the stage” long before the cinematic era. The story of King Lear, told many times before Shakespeare staged his version of the tale in 1606, is an example of this. The history of "King Leir" can be traced back to 1136 with Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae. However, when comparing the two texts, some important differences emerge, namely the characters Cunedagius and Marganus and their capture of their aunt, Cordelia, in the telling of the legend of Monmouth. These characters do not exist in Shakespeare's King Lear after a long decline in popularity due to various retellings of the famous king's story. The further we progress through the adaptations of Monmouth's original story, the more these characters recede into the background until they have not even a small impression on the public gaze.. ...