Greed And Jealousy In The Lion King And Hamlet

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2009 adaptation of Hamlet shows resembance to Disney’s 1994 production of the Lion King. Each film revolves around a male protagonist, who must cope with the death of his father, murdered by his uncle. Both characters are a prince, and threats to the throne which makes them targets for murder. They each experience emotional trauma in order to overthrow the corrupt king. Gregory Duncan had an unusual vision for his modern rendition of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, just as Roger Allen had for his African themed one. One parallel event which stands prominent is Hamlet’s second encounter with his father’s spirit compared to Simba’s with his. Each director effectively used characterization, as well as manipulated their script to fulfill their interpretation of this scene from the classic story. Thus, proving that each film reflects the positive and negative connections within a family in a monarchy's society.

When contrasting the characters in William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet to the characters in Walt Disney’s film, The Lion King, there are many differences in characterization. Hamlet is a play set in Denmark that tells the story of the tragic murder of King Hamlet and the emotional effects it has on his son, Prince Hamlet. The Prince’s mental instability causes him to go wildly insane over his love for Ophelia, who he will never have. He seeks vengeance on his uncle who is guilty of his father's murder. The Lion King is a film about Simba, a young lion prince who grieves over the untimely death of his father, the King of the Pride Lands. Simba discovers his Uncle Scar was the cause of his father's death. He must now return to Pride Rock in order to save his home and all who live there from the chaos under the ruling of Scar while he finds his place in society. When analyzing the characters Ophelia and Nala, they are dissimilar in their traits of obedience, dependence, and inner strength.

The purpose of this report is to compare and contrast two movies made about Hamlet. I will present and discuss different aspects of the version directed by Kenneth Branagh to that of Franco Zefirelli. During this paper you will be presented with my opinions in reference to determining which version of Hamlet best reflects the original text by Shakespeare. I will end this paper with my belief and explanation of which movie is true to the original play.

Many literary works can be compared due to vast amounts of similarities between theme and characters; Hamlet and the Lion King are two literary works in which character and theme are surprisingly similar throughout each work. The Lion King is thought to be just an animated children’s film, however, it is in fact a modern translation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The main characters in the Lion King are definite parallels to those in Hamlet. Along with the main characters and plot details, the stories were similar in the representation of the secondary characters. "Here's my little secret, I killed Mufasa.” The theme in Hamlet can be compared to the Walt Disney movie The Lion King. Hamlet and Simba are betrayed by their uncles whom murder their

Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a story about a king that was murdered by his brother and the prince has been asked by his father?s ghost to avenge his murder. The original story line has been altered a few times since it has been written. The original Hamlet the play and the altered Hamlet the movie are shown differently in many different ways. Hamlet the movie with Mel Gibson shows different things than the play, but there are three major differences between the two. The three major differences are in the way both of the productions start out, differences in the scene that the players put on a play, and differences in the way the productions end.

The instinct for justice to be served and the idea of revenge to be sought has existed upon us to be a natural part of human nature for many years. Hamlet by William Shakespeare and Disney’s 1994 film “The Lion King” directed by Roger Allers share many parallels between the relationship of brothers, resulting for the seek of revenge and restored order to compare. Green with envy, Scar and Claudius result to murder to achieve victory in gaining power over the thrown. The comparison between Claudius and Cain are evident to portray revenge upon their brothers and later to be exiled With both king deaths, Mufasa and King Hamlet bring meaning and actions to lend hand in the motive to their sons to restore what is right.

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark has been performed thousands of times since it was “written in 1599–1601 and published in a quarto edition in 1603” (Britannica.com). It’s popularity stems from its themes that translate across time. These themes, are seen to be relatable even to this day with the ever growing audience. Readers and viewers are able to find similarities between the current state and or even relate to one of the characters or events taking place over the course of Shakespeare’s five act masterpiece. Shakespeare's, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark remains a viable text for contemporary readers in that it functions as a mirror.

To obey is to comply with a command and do what someone says, to carry out someone’s orders. Loyalty is to obey unconditionally, regardless of any negative consequences. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and Disney’s The Lion King, themes of loyalty and revenge are developed through the characters and their interactions with each other. Firstly, Hamlet and Simba show complete loyalty to their deceased fathers, and seek atonement in their honour, despite their own personal struggles. Secondly, Claudius and Scar both take vengeance out of jealousy of not inheriting the throne, and are determined to maintain it by killing the princes. Lastly, Laertes and the Hyenas are devoted to their leaders, Claudius and Scar, and assist them in their plans of wrath.

There is a lot of corruption in Hamlet by Shakespeare, but how does it effect the main character Hamlet? To start, corruption in this play is made up by multiple elements such as greed, manipulation and immoral choices. All of these elements and corruption as a whole may or may not have affected hamlet. This is the theme that I will be exploring in the following series of paragraphs.

The reason being that Hamlet can’t let go of what could have happened to his father even though he can get in big trouble if he kills the king. It’s showing how many people get affected by the anger and tension going around. A lot of people started to even want Hamlet dead because this built up anger he had was making him go crazy and people were noticing. A lot of people were killed that wouldn’t have been killed if hamlet hadn’t decided to go crazy and not let something that might have been

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness ‘’, a quote by Martin Luther King. This quote relates to one of the principal themes in Hamlet. As a synonym for selfishness, greed also ties in to the theme of the play. The egocentricity of the character Claudius and his brother King Hamlet had a very large impact on several lives. He is the perfect example of ‘’one must do whatever it takes ‘’.

Hamlet was a four hour long film about a tragic hero who in trying to do the right things ends up going down a spiral of destruction leading to his demise. In contrast, “The Lion King” is a one hour and a half long film about a lion whose loses his father, runs away, and then returns to take back his home land. At first glance these films may seem like complete opposites. But in fact they are very similar. In both films the father characters are very similar, both uncles have similar character traits, and the two main leads come from royalty and regain the thrown.

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet explores and condones the same variety of themes in Disney’s The Lion King. Through a number of events, both the antagonists want to take revenge upon their evil uncles. The reader and audience learn the importance of finding happiness when Simba meets Timon and Pumba, but Hamlet is neglected leaving him to spiral into dark thoughts. Another theme explored by both texts is power and how easy it is to lose what’s all around you as well as the even bigger struggle it is to gain it all back. Both texts have a variety of differences, yet they are very similar which makes them unique. Especially The Lion King, being aimed at a younger audience, it is evident to see how Disney has purposely left out harsh topics, such as suicide, to cater for the indented audience.

If Hamlet was written during a different historical period, such as the Cuban Revolution, and in a different geographical location, Havana, Cuba for instance, the story would differ remarkably.

William Shakespeare's Hamlet is without question the most famous play in the English language. Hamlet is a play about a character's struggles with the opposing forces of moral integrity and the need to avenge his father's murder. Disney's The Lion King is an award winning film about a young lion cub named Simba, and his struggles against himself and reality. The movie, The Lion King, and the book, Hamlet, both have a similar story line. Shakespeare's Hamlet and Disney's The Lion King have similar occurrences such as, the king is killed and revenge is sought by the king's son, the murderers are the king's brothers who want the power of the throne, and many others; but each story is also unique in their own ways.