Simba, A Young Lion

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 large animal I would like to be is the African Lion. Simply because I think they’re majestic, regal, and confident creatures and, well to be truthful I am also born of the zodiac. The African lions are the only large cat species that live in groups called “Prides”. The lion is an impressive animal whose head & body can measure 4.5 to 6.5ft; (which can be relative to a 6ft.2in male human when standing on two legs) the tail alone can measure; 26.25 to 39.5inches in length. They can weigh as little as 265lbs to as much as 420lbs. For years the lion were only represented in one color which was yellowish-gold but now you can see them as all white as the snow, thanks to some genetic tinkering. Their paws are enormous, the male paw when relaxed can measure 10-12 inches

To exemplify Erickson’s psychosocial theory which emphasizes the emergence of the self, the search for identity, the individual’s relationships with others, and the role of culture throughout life (page), I will begin with the opening of the movie which shows Simba at the infancy stage where he is developing a trusting behavior from his parents (Mufasa and Sarabi) and the Hornbill bird, Zazu, who is always reminding everyone to be cautious and careful. His parents accomplished this by providing him a safe and comfortable living environment and Sarabi made sure there was someone wiser (Zazu) to go with him when he wanted to start exploring. Mufasa taught him how to make a living and other new activities,

The Lion King is a true hero's journey that takes place in the savannas of Africa. The title "the Lion King" emphasizes that a lion is king, most likely referring to the main character, Simba. Simba is the main hero in the story because he regains his kingdom and defeats evil. The main character's archetype is "king"; he takes responsibility for his actions and his kingdom, he regains order and control. Simba takes part in a hero's journey by being a part of the departure, initiation, and the return.

The Lion King is another example where we see the physical, mental and emotional growth of Simba. When Mufasa dies, Simba tries to bring him back to life by nudging him and telling him to come back. Simba reminisces of

Simba and Hamlet, the main protagonists of The Lion King and Hamlet, can represent both the exiled child and tragic hero archetypes. In The Lion King Simba was compelled to leave his homeland because he was led to believe he had killed his own father. In Hamlet, Hamlet was forced to leave by his uncle’s order. Likewise in The Lion King Simba’s leave was also influenced by his uncle’s action. Unlike Simba’s unawareness of his uncle’s role in his father’s death, Hamlet is fully aware of his father’s killer being his uncle. As of the beginning of Hamlet, he meets his father’s ghost who asks Hamlet for vengeance, as the ghost leaves he says “Adieu adieu Hamlet remember me”. This scene can be compared to when Simba also meets his father’s ghost, who says to Simba as he leaves “Remember who you are”. Simba’s father appears more concerned about Simba’s state of mind and convinces him to return to The Pride Lands, whereas Hamlet’s father shows little concern for Hamlet and wants to be remembered and avenged. Hamlet is older and spends less time than Simba in exile whereas Simba spends a few years exiled without a care, which is shown in the song Hakuna Matata. After his father’s influence, Simba returns. Upon both of their returns, a fight occurs. Hamlet kills his uncle and is also killed himself whereas in The Lion King Simba doesn’t actually kill scar but says to him “Run away Scar...Run. Run away and never return.” however Scar pounces on Simba and their duel begins, in the end, Simba throws Scar off a cliff leaving him to the hyenas. Hamlet and Simba both represent the exiled child and tragic by being forced to leave their homeland and to kill, fight their own uncles to save their homeland. The Lion King’s ending was altered to have almost no death to make the film

A couple minutes after Nala leaves, Simba is graced with the presence of a crazy baboon named Rafiki who tells him that his father is still alive, inside of him, and that he should follow him if he wants to see for himself. Simba follows the baboon to a pond and looks to where the monkey is pointing. Unfortunately he only sees his own reflection but Rafiki tells Simba to look harder. He then sees his father in the water, realizing what the baboon meant. Mufassa is now in the dark clouds telling Simba that he’s forgotten who he was, therefore he’s forgotten him, and this triggers Simba’s emotions making feel disappointed in himself for not going home like he should have. His father then tells him that he needs to find his place back in the circle of life and says “remember who you are. You are my son and the one true king. Remember who you are.” His voice is very deep and almost sounds like he is hurting. Then in an instant he is gone with the storm and Simba is chasing after him begging him not to go.

Simba’s heroic qualities don’t just stand out when he is found by Nala begging him to return to Pride Rock to save everyone and the community, but also when he meets Pumbaa and Timon. He is learning how to survive on his own and how to be a true friend. Simba shows all characteristics of a hero throughout his journey, it begins with his separation from his family, and his choice to runaway. Simba has to deal with guilt and is tested emotionally, he has been told that he killed his father and needs

He then told the hyenas to chase the wildebeest into the stampede area that Simba was in. Which in doing so almost killed Simba and killed his father. After Simba knew his father was dead Scar told Simba it was his fault and he should run away. Simba was tricked in to believing it was his fault and ran away. This affected him because he lived half his life in shame that he killed his own father, when Scar actually killed him.

This is because Scar does not want to confront the fact that he fails as King compared to Mufasa as this would destroy his superior image of himself, which substantiates his narcissistic sensitivity to criticism. Such narcissistic sensitivity to criticism is a prominent trait in sociopaths, as many of them are unwilling to accept disapproval since it opposes their ego. Next, Scar’s intolerance of failure further exhibits his narcissistic sensitivity to criticism. Simba’s mother warns Scar that “you have sentenced us to death!” after he refuses to abandon the Pridelands in result of the food insecurity. Scar then responds, “Then so be it”. Scar’s refusal displays his inability to accept that he has not been able to uphold the same prosperity in his Kingdom compared to Mufasa’s reign since acknowledging that would indicate that Scar fails as being King. Therefore, this confirms Scar’s sociopathy because sociopaths are unable to accept failure since that would signify their flaws and damage their grandiose self-image. Lastly, Scar’s inability to admit his wrongdoings further indicates his narcissistic sensitivity to

Nala explains the wretched condition of the Pride Lands since Scar became King and urges Simba to return. Simba comes in contact with the wise baboon. He hesitates out of fear, and out of his rebellion he has a vision of his father that prompts him to return home. When he returns he challenges Scar and wins. He becomes King of the Pride Lands as his father had taught him he would. Nala gives birth to a cub of their own completing the circle of life.

A century ago, the lion population of Africa thrived as these animals were able to roam freely across the continent. However, owing to a multitude of factors such as poaching, trophy killings, loss of habitat area and conflicts with humans- the population of the African lion today is just 10% of what it once was. The need to address this rapid decline in lion populations is vital in ensuring that these animals are present for future generations to enjoy, whilst not impeding the access for the current generation. Lions, being a non-market public good without well-defined property rights results in society’s inability in managing this resource effectively (Shogren and Taylor, 2008); to overcome this, a market must be established which

C Being a young prince and one day King, Simba is expected to act accordingly. As any young and curious lion would, he feels the pressure of his position as prince, and finds himself in some very tricky situations. Simba must realize that someday he will be the leader of the whole kingdom, and must mature into not only role model for animals everywhere, but also learn how to rule over an entire kingdom.

Mufasa in an earlier scene when showing Simba their kingdom deliberately tells him that the place where the light doesn’t touch, is a place he must never go. Then when Simba and Nala run off and go they are attacked by hyenas Mufasa is there to save them but is furious that Simba disobeyed him. Simba apologizes, but that doesn’t help, in regret for what he has done he walks with his head down on their path home. This guilt Simba feels helps to fix his bad behavior so he will not do it again, after seeing how disappointed his dad was with him. A shameful moment during the movie was what Simba feels because he felt like he was the blame for his father's death. Running away from his kingdom after Scar convinces him he was responsible for it all. Simba’s shame would be globalized for the kingdom to know that he was a murder, and as a young cub he just couldn’t face it, it devastated

On the other hand, in Disney's The Lion King, Simba's father is killed after he falls from a cliff into a herd of antelope. Simba falls into a deep depression after Scar twists things around and convinces Simba that he is the one responsible for Mufasa's death. Simba can not deal with what has happened and Simba exiles himself where he meets a warthog and meerkat, named Timon and Pumbaa, and develops a carefree lifestyle with them. Later on in the story, as an adult, Simba returns to the Pride Lands to reclaim the throne from Scar.