Compare And Contrast Lion King And Hamlet

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Recommended: Shakespeare and his characterization

Shakespeare & Disney
Characterization
The Lion King and Hamlet both feature princes. Hamlet is the prince in the Shakespeare play named after him. Hamlet is very indecisive and this is shown throughout the play. Hamlet wants to avenge his father by killing his uncle but, when he is presented with an opportunity to do so while Claudius is confessing his sins. Hamlet is close to killing his uncle with his dagger but decides that he should not kill him just yet. Through Psychoanalytic Theory, one can see that Hamlet has a low self-esteem which is why he is not confident enough to make a firm decision. In contrast to Hamlet’s low self-esteem, Simba is confident and maintains a high self-esteem. This is shown through Simba’s dialogue. Simba says to Nala as they explore the forbidden area, “Danger? Ha! I walk on the wild side. I laugh in the face of …show more content…

The Lion King is a story based around the betrayal of a king by his brother. The brother’s ambition of becoming the king leads to him killing the true and current king. In The Lion King, Scar betrays his brother by killing him to gain the throne for himself. Through Psychoanalytic Theory, it is clear that Scar feels shame because he is not the king and the next in line for the throne is his nephew. This shame eventually leads to Scar betraying his brother because of his ambition. The plot for Hamlet is similar to that of The Lion King, in that it also is based around betrayal and ambition. Claudius, the brother of the former King Hamlet poisons his brother to gain the throne and the Kingdom of Denmark. The same element of shame in Psychoanalytic Theory can be applied once again here to show that Claudius’s shame in combination with his ambition leads him to betray his brother. The betrayal and ambition elements of the story appeals to audiences of both The Lion King and

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