Similarities Between Hamlet And The Lion King

Hamlet & Lion King

The Lion King and Hamlet have a storyline that is similar in many different ways. For example, Scar and Claudius are similar through the way that they betrayed and killed their own brother in order in order to become King. In The Lion King, Simba is visited by his father’s ghost, just as Hamlet is in the tragedy known as Hamlet. In the story of Hamlet, Hamlet is in love with Ophelia, but can not be with her due to the circumstances, like Nala and Simba in The Lion King. Although these stories contain many similarities, there are several differences shown through relationships and circumstances of the characters. The stories represent a time of death, disease, and decay. Both The Lion King and Hamlet contain characters that

are in a constant battle within themselves throughout the stories.
In The Lion King, Scar is jealous of his brother, Mufasa, for being King.

To overcome his jealousy, he betrays his own brother by letting him fall off of a cliff into a stampeding herd of wild animals. Scar’s final words to Mufasa were, “Long live the King” (www.wikiquote.org). Similar to that of The Lion King, Claudius is extremely jealous of his brother, Old Hamlet, for his role as the King of Denmark. Claudius murders his brother by poisoning him during his sleep, in order for him to take over the role as King of Denmark. The stories contain a brother that is so consumed with jealousy, that he begins to feel that royalty is more important than family. The actions of both Scar and Claudius affect the characters of each story in several different ways, which in turn profoundly impacted the state of the

kingdoms.
In the tragedy of Hamlet, Hamlet is visited by his father’s ghost, who says to him, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (Hamlet, Act I Scene V - www.shakespeare-online.com). In The Lion King, Simba’s father appears in the night sky and tells him to take his rightful place as King, through the Circle of Life. Both Simba and Hamlet are greatly affected by their father’s ghost, and take action to complete the tasks that their fathers had given them. Hamlet first takes revenge by pretending to be mad, or crazy in the mind. Secondly, he put on a play that re-enacted his father’s murder, in order to see the way his uncle, Claudius, reacted. When his uncle responded in a way that proved he was guilty, Hamlet took action in hopes of killing his uncle. After Simba is visited by his father’s ghost in The Lion King, he returns back to Pride Rock to face his uncle, Scar. When he returns, he sees that his home has been taken over by death, disease, and decay. Simba takes action, and eventually has Scar killed by the hyenas. Simba and Hamlet were very similar in the ways that they obeyed their father’s requests to do what was best for the kingdom. They stood up for what was right, even if it meant risking their own lives.
Love played an important role throughout Hamlet and The Lion King.

In The Lion King, Simba fell in love with Nala. However, his father’s death impacted him in such a way that he fled Pride Rock in order to start over. Although both Nala and Simba shared the same feelings for one another, the circumstances throughout the movie did not allow them to be together for many years. In Hamlet, Ophelia and Hamlet feel a great amount of love towards one another, but are unable to be together due to the fact that Ophelia did not come from a royal name. However, the two stories differ in the way that Nala and Simba eventually find their way back to each other, while the death of Hamlet and Ophelia in Hamlet does not allow for them to end up

together.
Although The Lion King and Hamlet are similar in many ways, they are also very different. In Hamlet, many of the characters die by the end of the story, while in The Lion King, few characters die. Despite the fact Simba’s father, Mufasa, died, Simba generally lived a happy life with his friends Timone and Pumbaa; however, Hamlet’s life continued to spiral down the drain throughout the story. Another difference between the two stories is shown through marriage. For example, in The Lion King, Mufasa’s wife does not marry Scar, but in Hamlet, Gertrude marries Claudius shortly after the death of her husband. By the end of The Lion King, Simba is living a happy life in Pride Rock, but in the tragedy of Hamlet, Hamlet loses his life by fighting for the revenge that his uncle so rightfully deserved.
The Lion King and Hamlet share many similarities and differences. Similarities are shown through the murder of both Mufasa and Old Hamlet by their jealous brothers, along with the visit by the father’s ghost of both Simba and Hamlet. Many differences are shown through the relationships and circumstances of the characters throughout the stories. Both The Lion King and Hamlet represent an overall theme of death, disease, and decay.