Compare/Contrast Essay
Hamlet & Lion King
To state the obvious, The Lion King is a children’s movie that is a thinly veiled version
of Hamlet, a play by William Shakespeare. This is beneficial because when children grow up
they will have a familiar idea of what Hamlet is about. Saying that, while there are a number of
similarities between the film and the play, there are also quite a few differences.
In both the film and the play, there are two brothers- one portrayed as the king and the
other as jealous and conniving in the shadows. Another similarity between the two is that
the king’s son is able to exact his revenge for his father’s death in the end. Claudius killed Old
Hamlet because he coveted his brother’s status and …show more content…
This symbolized that Scar always had a hidden and harsh agenda against the royal family.
King Claudius appeared completely harmless. it wasn’t until the paranormal appearance of Old
Hamlet that we realize his true plans. In the scene where Scar has the hyenas march in formation
in front of him, this symbolizes more of a dictator type of rule.Claudius, ruled Denmark along
side of Gertrude, the queen. In Hamlet, the prince has a sword match with Laertes, Ophelia’s
brother. Laertes had dipped his sword in poison to ensure Hamlet’s death; this led to Hamlet and
Claudius dying the same way Hamlet’s father did. (Hamlet p.174) The Lion King was unique in
that Simba did not die and Scar didn’t die the same way that Mufasa did. (youtube).
Through a lot of evaluation through compare and contrast, Hamlet and The Lion King
seem to be about the same story with just enough changes to dodge plagiarism. Though there
were plenty of differences in both concrete and contextual form, the basic story line is there; the
king was murdered by his brother, the queen, at first, has no idea, and there is a nosy adviser to
the royal family. The prince has a love interest, he has two companions he grew up with,
Hamlet & Lion King
To state the obvious, The Lion King is a children’s movie that is a thinly veiled version
of Hamlet, a play by William Shakespeare. This is beneficial because when children grow up
they will have a familiar idea of what Hamlet is about. Saying that, while there are a number of
similarities between the film and the play, there are also quite a few differences.
In both the film and the play, there are two brothers- one portrayed as the king and the
other as jealous and conniving in the shadows. Another similarity between the two is that
the king’s son is able to exact his revenge for his father’s death in the end. Claudius killed Old
Hamlet because he coveted his brother’s status and …show more content…
This symbolized that Scar always had a hidden and harsh agenda against the royal family.
King Claudius appeared completely harmless. it wasn’t until the paranormal appearance of Old
Hamlet that we realize his true plans. In the scene where Scar has the hyenas march in formation
in front of him, this symbolizes more of a dictator type of rule.Claudius, ruled Denmark along
side of Gertrude, the queen. In Hamlet, the prince has a sword match with Laertes, Ophelia’s
brother. Laertes had dipped his sword in poison to ensure Hamlet’s death; this led to Hamlet and
Claudius dying the same way Hamlet’s father did. (Hamlet p.174) The Lion King was unique in
that Simba did not die and Scar didn’t die the same way that Mufasa did. (youtube).
Through a lot of evaluation through compare and contrast, Hamlet and The Lion King
seem to be about the same story with just enough changes to dodge plagiarism. Though there
were plenty of differences in both concrete and contextual form, the basic story line is there; the
king was murdered by his brother, the queen, at first, has no idea, and there is a nosy adviser to
the royal family. The prince has a love interest, he has two companions he grew up with,