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Archetypes In The Lion King

Decent Essays

Sydney Rickabaugh Ms. Crider English 10 Honors Period 1 17 October 2014
Wonder for all ages Great stories seem to take people of all ages on a roller coaster ride full of emotion and wonder. An animated movie called The Lion King was produced by Disney and released in 1994. The plot of the story is when a young lion prince is born and his evil uncle plots to kill him and his father the king. After the king is murdered, the prince runs away from his kingdom leaving the uncle in charge by default. The movie appeals to people of all ages because it shows that all cultures seemed to enjoy the consistent use of well-known archetypes. The Lion King shows similarities of all ages by recognizing common, situational, and character archetypes. The …show more content…

When Mufasa and Simba are out on a grassy field late at night, Mufasa tells Simba to look up at the stars. He explains to Simba that the stars are decedents of kings that look down over the lands and give guidance. Mufasa also tells Simba that one-day he will die and that after he is dead he will still watch Simba from with-in stars One night, Simba looked up at the night sky and remembered what his father told him. He gets confused by what the stars really mean because it does not feel that his father is still watching over him. Many people love the stars, just like the characters in the story, because the stars provide the feeling of direction and admiration. The next common archetype that was displayed in the motion picture is a forest. A forest can show mystery and can be a great place to find out who you really are. Simba grew up in the forest and loved it because it was a paradise for him. One day, Rafiki leads Simba through the dark, mystical jungle. Rafiki takes Simba to edge of the jungle and makes him look into the water and figure out whom he sees. At first, Simba only sees himself. The audience expected this of course because people seemed to …show more content…

These character archetypes include the mentor, the loyal companions, and the hero. In The Lion King the mentor is depicted as Mufasa. Mufasa taught Simba basically everything he knows about the pride lands. One morning, Mufasa takes Simba on a tour of their kingdom and he tells Simba that everything the light touches is part of their land. Also, he tells him that the darkness of the land separates the good from the evil. He also teaches Simba about the circle of life. Mufasa tells Simba that even though they eat an animal, they themselves will eventually die and become grass the animals will eat. This depicts the circle of life and that everyone and everything is part of the pattern. Then, Mufasa teaches Simba the importance of putting other people before your self. Simba disobeyed his father and went to the darkness, or elephant graveyard, with his best friend Nala. Simba did not know there would be hyenas there and ended up putting himself and Nala in danger. Mufasa sprang into action and rescued the two trembling cubs. He then explained to Simba that being brave does not mean that you should go looking for trouble. People seem to enjoy seeing a good father figure in a movie. The Lion King also has very comical loyal companions. These characters are supposed to help and protect the hero. Timon and Pumbaa are the loyal companions in the film and are a good comical relief for people. After Simba runs away

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