The Lion King
Summary
Disney is not a stranger to mature themes , andThe Lion Kingwas no different , taking inspiration from a Hellenic Shakespearean tale . alive Disney movies are known for teach children lesson in morality , andThe Lion Kingdoes that , just with darker themes . Murder , betrayal , and revenge are all featured in the 1994 picture show as Simba ’s founding father is killed by his uncle and finds himself ostracise from his family . If the story of a immature prince who was banished and returns to avenge his father sounds conversant , it is .
Hamletwas by far one of William Shakespeare ’s most famous tragedies andThe Lion Kingseemed to take some breathing in from it . The story withstood the trial run of time for a reason . Both tales were classics in their own way . The Lion Kingdrew stirring while becoming its own news report . It ’s well remembered for the story of Simba triumphing over Scar and some amazing medicine , but it still has quite a bit in coarse with Shakespeare ’s tragic tale .
Shakespeare ’s study have had a massive influence on the level we secern today , and in fact , many movies are direct adaption of the Bard ’s stories .
How The Lion King Is Like Hamlet
The Prince Has A Traitorous Uncle
King Claudius has been portrayed from microscope stage to film by many different thespian , but the solution are always the same . Claudius is the firebrand of the plot to take over the crapper of Denmark . He orchestrate his blood brother ’s death to win the potty for himself . Allthe prince ’s uncle want inHamletandThe Lion Kingis tycoon .
Though his methods differed fromThe Lion KingtoHamlet , the seat king eventually met his unseasonable terminal . Whether it was Scar creating a stampede or Claudius pouring poisonous substance in his brother ’s pinna , the world-beater dies . And Claudius became one step closer to the throne . The only one in his way in either story when the king dies is the prince .
The Prince Sees His Father’s Ghost
In manyHamletproductions , the appearance of the prince ’s father is taken more literally than others . InHamlet , the 2000 picture show starring Ethan Hawke , Hamlet ’s father speak to him through television . In some productions , Hamlet ’s Father of the Church appears as an genuine spook , which is whatThe Lion Kingdoes as well .
Simba encounters Mufasa ’s spirit more literally , and it has a sullen , meaningful presence . In both iteration , the departed magnate must remind his son not to forget the offense that has been committed . Mufasa is there to remind Simba that he is the prince and that Scar is in the wrong .
The 2000 version ofHamletis available to stream on Paramount+ .
Custom image by Amanda Bruce
The Prince Is Exiled
Whether it be Pride Rock or Denmark , the prince has a rocky relationship with his plate . After Mufasa is killed inone of the most memorable death scenes in an animated film , Scar convinces Simba that it was his geological fault and that he should be banished . Scar desire that Simba would , at the very least , never come back to imperil his rule .
King Claudius is more candid about it , apprise Hamlet ’s schoolhouse friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to kill his nephew . In both these stories , the new king is intent on his nephew never returning . Claudius and Scar do n’t really see anyone else as a threat to their power since the prince , in both stories , is the rightful heir to the can .
The Prince Has Friends In Exile
Comedic backup is something required in catastrophe , especially play as tragical asHamlet . Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are college friends of Hamletwho take some sharpness off of the heavier theme in the playing period . They ’ve been used very effectively in both stage and screen adaptations , andThe Lion Kinghas its own variant of the couple , though they are n’t college friends to a youthful lion young carnivore .
Like Hamlet , Simba finds himself in exile , though he is not alone . Timon and Pumbaa become his cohorts in ostracism , and in the end they all find themselves back at Pride Rock for the final encounter . Timon and Pumbaa become his allies , not just fun comic relief for the interview .
The Disney Renaissance develop many puerility , but each is base on a unlike Graeco-Roman fib . How does each film pile up to the rootage material ?
There Is A Love Story
Love is the connecting factor betweenThe Lion KingandHamlet . Nothing makes a narration more tragic than fall behind passion and nothing makes a child ’s movie intimately than these evocative themes . BothHamletandThe Lion Kinghave their own sonnets , so to speak .
Hamlet and Ophelia are consumed with angst throughout the turn . However , Hamlet sends her a letter professing his feelings with the famous line “ doubtfulness though the star are fire . ” This is recreatedinThe Lion Kingthrough its well - have it off song“Can You experience the Love Tonight . ”
The Lion Kingis available to stream on Disney+ .
How The Lion King Is Different From Hamlet
The Prince Is Sane In The Lion King
William Shakespeare penned a five - act child’s play demonstrating a unseasoned prince teetering on the edge of sanity . In Kenneth Branagh ’s 1996 film , Hamletspans to a cool four hours . The Lion King , not quite as challenging , comes to about an hr and a half in the enliven version . The prince ’s portraiture was tone down for the children ’s picture show and did not explore Simba ’s mental condition .
In one of the most famous scenes of the Bard ’s sport , Hamlet goes to a graveyard and talk to Yorrick , a skull . It is debatable whether Hamlet is truly going mad or not and spends a well amount of time moot the subject . Simba may have gone to an elephant graveyard , but he did not spend his time talk to the bones .
The 1996 version ofHamletis available to stream on Tubi .
Nala Is Stronger Than Ophelia
There isnot a light translation for Ophelia inThe Lion King , but Nala get along the closest . She is the prince ’s think , but that is where the resemblance stop . Ophelia is crushed by the weight of her experiences . She last Hamlet ’s humor swings and has to pick out between her sexual love and her family .
Nala is strengthened by her difficulty . She hang in and pushed Simba into repay to the realm to take his rightful place after being shun by Scar herself . InHamlet , the kingdom break under its own catastrophe . And most significantly , Nala is not a tragic human body . She overcomes her circumstance while Ophelia is demolish by them .
The Queen Is A Good Mother In The Lion King
There are many readings of Queen Gertrude . Many rendition paint a picture that she never love Claudius killed her first hubby . However , Gertrude is not blameless in her treatment of her boy . Hamlet is exiled and Gertrude sides with her husband Claudius , whether she is aware he is a murderer or not .
Simba ’s female parent Sarabi is gratuitous from this virtuously gray surface area . She survive the story , never siding with Scar , and supports her boy ’s claim to the pot . She is n’t banished from the Pride Lands like Nala is , and she does n’t go look for Simba , believing him lost initially . It is made clear , however , that there is no allegiance to Scar , and she is now quick for Simba to take over despite the time that has hap since she ’s check her son .
An in - depth analysis and review of the live - action and animated movies in Disney ’s The Lion King franchise , ranked from the worst to the best .
Female Agency Is Portrayed Differently
Hamletis full of some of the most notable distaff archetypes known to play . Queen Gertrude is the precursor to characters like Cersei Lannister and Gemma Teller . Ophelia is one of the most tragic love interests known in literature . But these women are archetypes for a reason . They provide a blueprint for a character type without having much agency of their own .
Nala and Sarabi both love their king but are not swayed in one guidance or another . They are steadfast , making up their own minds and making their own decision . The Lion Kingalso has another staunch distaff graphic symbol . Shenzi is the leader of the hyena faction that travel along Scar . She is the other side of the coin . Shenzi supports Scar , not for any obligation or love , but because it is what she believe .
The Lion King Is Not A Tragedy
Throughout Simba watching his Padre ’s death , being ousted by his uncle , and losing his integral puerility , The Lion Kinghas the devising of a great history . It creates its own classic after drawing divine guidance from one of the most famous calamity ever penned .
One of the most important of its messages is that all is not lost . Simba seemingly lose his total spirit at a young long time , but he comes out of it . He takes his habitation back and , most unlikeHamletof all , loses no extra life in the process . The Lion Kingisa story of triumph , not cataclysm , a stark contrast toHamlet .
