Hamlet and the Lion King
- This is a preview of the essay.
To view the full text you must login!
Most people love Disney movies; you grow up with them as a kid, and they always make you feel young again. They have catchy music, are easy to follow, and have happy endings. What some may not realize is that the Disney movie "The Lion King" has a deeper meaning than this simple happiness. Like the movie "West Side Story", it has many connections to a Shakespeare novel-Hamlet. These connections become more evident as you read the book.
The characters in "The Lion King" closely resemble those in Hamlet. For example, Simba, the son of King Mufasa, is the rightful heir to the throne as Hamlet is also the son of a king and the next in line. In the two stories, there are uncles, Scar and Claudius, that both kill their brothers the kings, Mufasa and Hamlet. Both uncles have right-hand men; Scar has the hyenas and Claudius has Laertes. Timon and Pumbaa, friends of Simba, are there to liven up the story during its sad parts...