Hamlet vs. The Lion King

As many people know, a lot of modern day movies and plays are loosely the same plot as a Shakespeare play. The Lion King is an example as it mirrors Hamlet. There are many striking similarities but Disney still found a way to put their own twist on the story.

One of the most obvious similarities is the uncle figure. In The Lion King, Scar kills his brother and Simba’s father, Mufasa. Scar kills him over jealousy and desire for power. In Hamlet, Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius kills his brother and Hamlet’s father for relatively similar reasons.

Another blaring similarity is the reappearance of the fathers as ghosts. When Mufasa reappears in the clouds he tells Simba to take his rightful place as king. When King Hamlet reappears as a ghost he convinces Hamlet to take revenge on his uncle.

Both uncles had similar plans for their nephews, as well. Claudius convinces Hamlet to travel around England, where he plans to assassinate him. Likewise, Scar tells Simba to run away in the hopes that he would die on his own or never return.

While in exile, both Hamlet and Simba make acquaintances that make a huge difference. In Simba’s case, he met Timone and Pumba. Timone and Pumba teach Simba how to relax and live on his own. In Hamlet’s case, in falls in love with Ophelia and meets up with his old friend Horatio. They helped guide him through his internal struggles.  

As we look at Disney’s role in making a new story, we can see some differences between the two plots.

For starters, they are very different ages when their fathers die. When Simba’s died, he was just a child, and had a lot of time to grow up. In Hamlet’s case, he was already a man when his father and the king was murdered.

As is very obvious, the most important difference is the overall mood of the plots. Simba’s eventual rise to reclaiming power is a very happy one. Hamlet’s revenge is met with constant suicidal thoughts and a generally depressing mood. Tied into this, the amount of dead characters is very different, as well. In The Lion King, Scar and Mufasa are the only characters that get killed. In Hamlet, Hamlet, his uncle, his father, his mother, Ophelia, Ophelia’s father, Ophelia’s brother, and other characters all die. This clearly plays into the depressing nature of Hamlet.

Another difference comes from the fact that Hamlet’s mother marries his uncle after his father’s death. In The Lion King, Nala is definitely not involved with Scar. As a matter of fact, it is believed by many that Scar is actually a gay character.

Finally, the best difference of all: Shakespeare uses people, but Disney uses animals.