Entertainment is a complex term and what is entertaining to one person or group may not be to another. However, many familiar forms have demonstrated the capacity to transcend media and be reimagined for different purposes. The Scheherazade story, for example, from the Persian professional storytelling tradition, inspired a musical piece by Rimsky-Korsakov, a film by Pasolini and an innovative video game. The word entertaiment is derived from the Latin verb, “to please” or “to amuse”. It has come to be strongly associated with amusement and leisure, although many entertainments have a more serious purpose – ceremonies, parties, non secular pageants or satire for example.
