Lion King and Hamlet
Justin Whited
Brin Charek
English 12 CP
30 January 2013
The Lion King and Hamlet The Lion King was, and still is, one of Disney’s greatest movies ever made. First released in 1994 it was an instant hit. What many people don’t know though is that it was based off another story written a long time before it. This story is Shakespeare’s Hamlet. As I compare the two stories you will notice many similarities between them. One of the first similarities I noticed between The Lion King and Hamlet was the overall topic of them. They both have a main focus on revenge and responsibility. In The Lion King, Simba wanted revenge on Scar for killing his father, while in Hamlet; Hamlet Jr. wanted revenge for his father’s murder as well. When it came to responsibility they were both the same. Simba was very irresponsible when he would leave the pride lands and Hamlet Jr. was very irresponsible by leaving. Another main similarity between the two stories was Hamlet Sr. and Mufasa. Hamlet Sr. was once the King of Denmark. He would rule his kingdom with peace and prosperity. Similar to this is Mufasa. He was the king of the Pride Lands; he ruled peacefully and only worried about his son and his responsibilities. Another similarity between Mufasa and Hamlet Sr. is how they both became leaders for their sons after their death. They lead them to get revenge on their uncle and clean up after his mess. They both came to their sons in a type of spirit and is what drove both the sons into action. Also in the message that the fathers told their sons, they let their sons interpret it themselves and didn’t give them exact rules or duties to accomplish. Not only is there a similarity between the good, but there is also similarities between the bad. This similarity is between Scar and Claudius, both the brothers to the king. Both Scar and Claudius killed there brothers to take over the throne and corrupt the kingdom. In Hamlet, Claudius takes over the kingdom and shows how he enjoys
Brin Charek
English 12 CP
30 January 2013
The Lion King and Hamlet The Lion King was, and still is, one of Disney’s greatest movies ever made. First released in 1994 it was an instant hit. What many people don’t know though is that it was based off another story written a long time before it. This story is Shakespeare’s Hamlet. As I compare the two stories you will notice many similarities between them. One of the first similarities I noticed between The Lion King and Hamlet was the overall topic of them. They both have a main focus on revenge and responsibility. In The Lion King, Simba wanted revenge on Scar for killing his father, while in Hamlet; Hamlet Jr. wanted revenge for his father’s murder as well. When it came to responsibility they were both the same. Simba was very irresponsible when he would leave the pride lands and Hamlet Jr. was very irresponsible by leaving. Another main similarity between the two stories was Hamlet Sr. and Mufasa. Hamlet Sr. was once the King of Denmark. He would rule his kingdom with peace and prosperity. Similar to this is Mufasa. He was the king of the Pride Lands; he ruled peacefully and only worried about his son and his responsibilities. Another similarity between Mufasa and Hamlet Sr. is how they both became leaders for their sons after their death. They lead them to get revenge on their uncle and clean up after his mess. They both came to their sons in a type of spirit and is what drove both the sons into action. Also in the message that the fathers told their sons, they let their sons interpret it themselves and didn’t give them exact rules or duties to accomplish. Not only is there a similarity between the good, but there is also similarities between the bad. This similarity is between Scar and Claudius, both the brothers to the king. Both Scar and Claudius killed there brothers to take over the throne and corrupt the kingdom. In Hamlet, Claudius takes over the kingdom and shows how he enjoys