Comparison of Storylines in "The Lion King" and "Hamlet"

The Lion King and The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark have a very similar storyline and characters. It was confirmed that The Lion King actually was inspired by Hamlet. Although, there are also many differences between the two. Everything cannot be the same. One is based on animals, while the other involves humans.

The Lion King follows the adventures of the newborn king, Simba. His father was killed by his brother so he was going to be the king when he got older. Although, Scar, Mufasa's murderous brother, wanted the throne. He ended up becoming king after killing his brother and chasing Simba away. Luckily, when Simba grows up, he comes back and takes his rightful place as king. The Prince of Denmark is about Prince Hamlet. His father was murdered by his brother. Hamlet finds out his uncle, Claudius, murdered him and seeks revenge throughout the whole story. In the end, he ends up killing Claudius. Unfortunately, he also dies.

The storylines resemble each other a lot. Although, Hamlet is more intense while the Lion King is more kid-friendly. The main characters, Simba and Hamlet, are very alike. They are each a prince of a kingdom. Neither of them have any siblings. Their dads were both killed by their uncles so they could receive the throne. Those uncles both completely changed the lives of each of the princes. The princes are both sent into exile. Their fathers both come back as spiritual figures and talk to their sons. They each return and battle their uncles, killing them and receiving revenge for their fathers.

Although, there are some differences. Simba is a child when his father dies while Hamlet is an adult. The most obvious one is that one is a lion while one is a man. The Lion King has a very happy ending while Hamlet has a very tragic one. Simba never killed anyone himself. Hamlet did. Simba had moral guidance from Rafiki. Hamlet was only driven by revenge. The only characters that die in the first film include Mufasa and Scar. In Hamlet, a lot of the main characters die, including the prince himself.

There is not much to compare about the prince's fathers since they were not involved in the stories a whole lot. They were both kings who were killed by their own brothers for the throne, which leaves their sons to make things right. No one knew either of them were killed by their brothers, except their kids. They both seem like they were great, strong leaders. They come back to speak to their sons as ghosts. It is unfortunate that either of them had to go the way they did, each by their own blood. Mufasa was thrown off a cliff while King Hamlet had poison poured into his ear while he was asleep. In The Lion King, Sarabi, Simba's mother, never gets in a relationship with the new king. The only way she compares to Queen Gertrude is by being the last king's wife. She stays strong and continues to keep her head up. She stands with her husband, even after death. Gertrude immediately remarries her own husband's brother who killed him.

Nala and Ophelia are the prince's love interest. Although, it is never clear that Hamlet truly loves Ophelia. She ends up going mad and drowns. Nala on the other hand never goes insane. It is very obvious Nala and Simba are in love from the beginning. Especially when they sing the song, Can You Feel the Love Tonight. No one ever sings in Hamlet, but there are a few songs in The Lion King. At the end of the movie, Simba and Nala actually end up marrying and having a child together so the royal family continues. In Hamlet Fortinbras, the Norweigan prince, ends up taking the crown because there is no family left.

Not only do the two princes have a love interest, but they also have some best friends. In The Lion King, Simba meets Timon and Pumbaa who basically raise him and teach him valuable lessons like Hakuna Matata. They are a trio and stick together. In Hamlet, the prince has one best friend, Horatio. He had two best mates from school, but they end up betraying him. The friends in the two stories differ very much, except for the fact that Timon, Pumbaa, and Horatio give their friends advice and help them out.

Each of the past kings had a right-hand man. Zazu was a very good assistant. He was not happy about the new king. He did not want to do anything for him and missed Mufasa. He was treated poorly. Polonius was also helpful, but he helped in the evil doings of Claudius. He went right along with whatever the new king had him do, getting him killed in the end.

Lastly, the hyenas related to Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Laertes. All these men were ordered to have the prince killed in some way, so he did not get in the way of the new king. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were to give a letter to the King of England to have Hamlet. executed. Laertes was to kill him himself in a swordfight. The same was for the hyenas. They were to kill Simba so he could not take the throne from Scar. At the end, each of the characters turn on the kings, except for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern whose lives were taken because they followed the evil orders. The hyenas end up killing Scar because he lied. Before Laertes died, he confesses to Hamlet Claudius is to blame for everyone's death.

In conclusion, The Lion King is a modern translation of Shakespear’s older play, Hamlet. Many of the characters are parallel to each other. The Lion King was made as a more family-friendly film. It is not as intense. Many things had to be changed to fit the younger audience. Both of these stories were very interesting and worth the watch or read.