The Lion King vs. Hamlet

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Adaptation Review: Hamlet and The Lion King A modern day adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is Walt Disney’s The Lion King. Both stories have similar plot lines and character parallels that correspond to one another. Throughout The Lion King, the viewer sees the similarities between characters and main events, making this movie a valid adaptation of Hamlet. This is a valid adaptation because one of the main tragedies that make each story interesting is the murder of the fathers. Obviously, Simba’s father Mufasa is killed by his own uncle to inherit the throne. This parallels to what happens to Hamlet’s father in Shakespeare’s story. His father is also murdered out of spite for power of the throne. The characters also represent each other throughout the story. Simba resembles Hamlet, Scar resembles Claudius, and Mufasa resembles King Hamlet. Even some of the secondary characters can be compared to each other, as well. For example, Zazoo represents Polonius, Lana resembles Ophelia, and Timon and Pumba represent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. There are a few events that take place in The Lion King that is similar to events in Hamlet. Just like in Hamlet, Simba is visited by his late father’s ghost. Also, in attempt to cheer up Simba, Timon and Pumba give the famous “Hakuna Matata” speech. This is similar to Rosencrantz’s and Guildenstern’s talk they both had with Hamlet that shows their friendship with the main character. Another event that The Lion King kept was Claudius’ plot to persuade Hamlet that he is the reason his father is dead and that he should run away and never come back. This event happens between Scar and Simba after Mufasa’s tragic death. There are quite a few adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This story has been made into many movies such as the 1990’s film Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson. This adaptation is a

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