The Lion King holds many similarities to Shakespeare’s tragedy “Hamlet”; however, the adult content is changed and the characters live “happily ever after” for Disney’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s play. The main plot of the story is about a young prince whose father is killed by his uncle and he is exiled from his home and the throne for a period of time to only return to avenge his father’s death and take the throne that rightfully belongs to him. Hamlet ends with all if not most of the identified characters diseased either by murder or suicide. The Lion King has only two major character deaths: Scar, who the antagonist, and Mufasa, who the main character’s father. Many people find it difficult to connect to Hamlet because of his actions in comparison to Simba’s because Simba was made to be more kid-friendly, but the connections are still there hidden within the plot and obstacles the protagonist had to face. All of the characters of each of these works connect somehow in some ways and differ in others; there are even characters that are just different enough they are not worth mentioning in this essay, but the connections are still there. The ones mentioned in this essay are the most commonly noticed and have more similarities and scenes than the others.
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****Disclaimer: The Lion King, its characters, and its images all belong to Walt Disney Studios****
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[ThoseTwoChickss]. (2013, June 12). The Story of Hamlet told through the Lion King [Video File]. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYheFyrahng