Before the teacher told us that The Lion King was based on The tragedy of Hamlet, I already knew
it, but I have never done a research about it. Now I want to show you the
similarities and the differences between these two stories.
In the article Hamlet and The Lion King: Shakespearean Influences on Modern
Entertainment, McElveen states that in mid-1994, Walt Disney Pictures
released one of the best animated movies, which had a “moral base unlike most
of the movies released at that time.” The
Lion King shows the story of a little lion that has the responsibility of
avenging his dead father. This film shadows Hamlet
so closely that it is easy to see how similar these works are.
First, the similarities between them. (Based on
the article Similarities (And Differences)
Between The Lion King and Hamlet)
-Both families are
royal families.
Simba is the son of Mufasa, the king of the lions. Hamlet is the son of King
Hamlet, king of Denmark. Thus, both Simba and Hamlet are princes.
-The uncle characters
are very similar.
Mufasa is killed by his brother Scar, who was jealous of Mufasa because he wanted
to be the king of the lions. Now, in Hamlet,
the King’s brother is Claudius, who also kills the king to get the throne.
-Ghosts. The king Mufasa appears to his son
in the stars and tells him to return to his kingdom, taking his place in the “circle
of life.” King Hamlet also appears as a ghost and tells his son Hamlet to take
revenge on Claudius.
-Both Simba and Hamlet
are sent away.
Simba meets Timone and Pumbaa after his uncle convinces him to run away—blaming
him for his father’s death—Scar sends the hyenas to kill Simba, but he
survives. Similarly, Claudius convinces Hamlet to travel to England, where he
is supposed to be killed; however, he survives.
-Both princes end up
fighting with their uncles. Simba fights with his uncle at the end; Scar is killed by the hyenas.
However, in Hamlet, the prince kills
his uncle with a sword.
Now, the differences.
-Simba is just a cub when his father dies,
while Hamlet is probably about 30 years old.
-After Mufasa’s death, Simba spends a lot of
time with Timone and Pumbaa, and he is actually happy. On the other hand,
Hamlet is depressed and mad.
-Sarabi, Simba’s mother, does not marry Scar,
whereas Gertrude (Hamlet’s mother) marries his brother-in-law immediately after
the king’s death.
-In The
Lion King, just Scar and Mufasa die. In Hamlet,
almost everybody dies.
-Simba marries Nala, and they have a baby
(Kiara), yet Hamlet does not marry Ophelia (his beloved woman) since both die.
Finally, McElveen also claims that even though modern
entertainment may look “new,” it is easy to demonstrate that it may be
connected to “some of the greatest literature of all time.” As the author says,
William Shakespeare is one of the most influential writers of all time; as a
consequence, many movies are based—directly or indirectly—on his plays. Do you
know any other movie based on Shakespeare’s plays?
"There is no new literature being written,
only old literature redone…"
Javiera Francisca Ramírez Cornejo.
References:
Bangell08. “Similarities (And Differences)
Between The Lion King and Hamlet.” Hub
Pages. 04 October 2002. Web. 08 November 2014.
McElveen, Trey. “Hamlet and The Lion King:
Shakespearean Influences on Modern Entertainment.” The Lion King. 17 April 1998. Web. 08 November 2014.
Javiera, I really liked your post. I also didn't know they were similar. I always thought Disney made movies based on old stories, for example, all the movies about princesses, giving them a happy ending, so for me The Lion King used to look really original, but it doesn't anymore.
ResponderEliminarOf course, as it's directed to children, the movie must have a happy ending, and it's nice to think that Ophelia and Hamlet may have had a future together.
In your post you ask if we know any other movie based on Shakespeare play, and I want to answer following the line of the Lion King, since the second or the third movie of the Lion King is about the love between Simba's daughter and Scar's son, two children... from opposite families... Romeo and Juliet in the Lion King too?!?!
Definitely, Shakespeare is an influence here too as it is in a lot of movies, songs, and the like in our culture. However, it would be a real shock to have a crazy as Hamlet little Simba xD
Thanks for your answer! I knew it because my sister had told me (at that time, I had watched "The Lion King" 100 times and already had read "Hamlet"), so I have known it for many years. However, I had never thought about Kovu and Kiara performing the roles of Romeo and Juliet; I do not know how many similarities they share, but, in general, terms they come from enemy families and have to see each other secretly. Fortunately, they live happily ever after and do not have to kill themselves.
EliminarUnlike you Javiera, I didn’t know that they were related whatsoever. It is probably because I haven’t read Hamlet until now, and I watched the movie when I was a kid, so honestly, I barely remembered the plot. However, everything makes sense now, especially after reading your post.
ResponderEliminarStill, not only in literature are works being redone; we can see this on TV too. I watch The Walking Dead (TWD), a hit-TV show about zombies. I thought that its plot was amazing and really well-developed until one day when I was watching the series with a friend of mine, he told me, “Hey, look. That’s Woody from Toy Story. Hahaha .” He was referring to Rick, who like Woody, was also the chief and main character of the show. That did not make me laugh at all, for the entire season 1 and 2 of TWD came back to my mind and I started comparing it to Toy Story. They share the same plot! I was mind-blown.
As you stated in the last lines of your post, it is sad to think that there’s no new literature being written; it is only old literature being redone. Nonetheless, it must be hard to come up with a good, engaging, and interesting story from scratch.
Thanks, Óscar! Well, as I said in the previous comment, I have watched the movie many times and I had to read the book in high school; that is why I knew the connection. Now, I have never watched neither "Toy Story" (any of them) nor "The Walking Dead," so I have no idea of what you said, but it would be really interesting to watch them someday and establish some connections... And, maybe, "Toy Story" is based on another story, do not you think? ;)
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ResponderEliminarGreat entry Javiera!....After reading the title of this post, I just thought that it was another reference that Shakespeare used to write "Hamlet". Personally, I never realized that "The Lion King" and "Hamlet" had so much in common. It is incredible the amount of references that are used to create "new" stories...I totally agree with you with the statement that you presented which shows how literature and other areas of art are being reshaped.
ResponderEliminarNow I can assure that originality existed neither in the past norin the present.
Thanks, Ninoska! I think that people who lived many (many many) years ago were creative and tried to innovate literature, while nowadays we have seen everything; for instance, if you turn on the TV, you will watch the same program in more than one channel. People of this century are original just to create new technological devices or “Ithings,” but nothing else.
EliminarHi, Javiera! I really enjoyed your post, especially when you name the differences between The Lion King and Hamlet. I think that the one that calls my attention the most is the age factor; I think that is what gives the movie a twist. As Hamlet was on his thirties, his way of living his father's death was totally different from Simba's. Hamlet had the possibility of growing up with his father by his side, whereas Simba did not have that choice. I think that is what really hurts inside Simba's heart: he wants to get revenge because his uncle's ambition ended up killing the chance of growing up and getting to know his father more. On the contrary, Hamlet wants to confirm the truth the Ghost told him and then killing the person who ruined not only his life, but also his sanity and his family.
ResponderEliminarDo you agree with me or not? =)
I'm looking forward to knowing what you think about this.
Regards!
Hi! Thanks for your comment! I agree with you when you say that the age factor played an important role: you react or behave according to your age and the context in which you are. Simba was just a “kid,” so he did not want to take revenge on his uncle in a violent way; he just let his uncle reign until he realized that everything Scar had told him was a lie. After seeing Mufasa, he noticed that he needed to regain the throne and take care of his mother. When he returned, Simba—and this is another difference between “The Lion King” and “Hamlet”—told Scar to go away (and the hyenas took revenge on him); whereas Hamlet tried to kill his uncle all the time. Best!
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