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Kalina Singleton
Mr. Jonathan Miller
English 12
7 January 2015
Hamlet and The Lion King: An Examination of Shakespearean Influences on Todays
Entertainment
There is no new literature being written, only old literature, redone. Unknown
Shakespeare is the greatest playwright to have ever lived and his plays and other literary
works have inspired countless reenactments and interpretations. These reenactments and creative
interpretations come from all over; Shakespeares influence can be found in books, plays, poems,
and movies. They can even be found in the innocent world of Disney Animation, which
specializes in creating movies and shows to entertain children. This is evident in one of Disneys
greatest animated films to ever be released, The Lion King. The Lion King may seem like just
another childrens film with its plethora of talking cartoon animals, goofy songs, and jokes but it
is actually a loose interpretation of one of Shakespeares most memorable plays, Hamlet: Prince
of Denmark. It might be hard to imagine Shakespeares mature themes and complex characters
being put successfully put into a childrens film without completely ruining the meaning the
original work but Disney does it very eloquently. Both Hamlet and The Lion King share similar
characters, plots and themes and the influence of Hamlet on The Lion King is evident throughout
the entire movie. Although both works are very similar, they are also different in many ways.

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The first thing many notice when comparing The Lion King and Hamlet is the striking
similarities between many of the characters. First and arguably most important is the protagonist
in both works. Prince Hamlet and Simba have so many different characteristics in common. Both
are the sons of a recently deceased king and the rightful heir to the throne of their respective
kingdoms. They also both have an uncle who takes over the kingdom after the deaths of their
fathers. Both also want to avenge the death of their fathers, whom they both loved, respected,
and admired a great deal, but end up running away from their responsibilities in one way or
another. They both experience extreme sadness when their fathers die and find other ways to take
their minds off of the horrible things that they have experienced in the past. Both of their fathers
appear to them as a ghost, compelling their acts of revenge. They both also have strong
emotional relationships with their mothers. Both of these relationships take a turn for the worst
after the deaths of their fathers as well. Another thing they share is the final act of killing the
uncle who killed their father and subsequently put them through much suffering. Even so, with
these numerous similarities there are bound to be countless differences. Apart from the obvious
fact that Hamlet is a grown man and Simba is a nave lion cub-turned adult lion during the
movie, there are some things that are different about these two princes. Hamlet is very
misogynistic, while Simba is not. Hamlet delays his act of revenge on Claudius because of his
morale. He wanted to make sure Claudius actually killed his father before he acts. Simba, on the
other hand, didnt know Scar killed his father, therefore he couldnt act upon that. Also, Hamlet
is a very bitter character; he is filled with sadness over his fathers death and thoughts of revenge
taking over his brain. Simba, although filled with sadness is still a sweet and agreeable character.
Another pair of character that have numerous similarities are the dead kings, King
Hamlet and Mufasa. Although both are only in their respective works for a limited amount of

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time, the common aspects are fairly easy to point out. Both kings are murdered by their brother.
Following their deaths, the throne was taken by the very same brother. Also, both appear to their
sons as a ghost of some sort. These appearances compel their sons to remember their
responsibilities and avenge the death of their fathers. There are few differences for the same
reason there are few similarities. King Hamlet dies before the start of Hamlet while Mufasa dies
after the beginning of The Lion King. Also, Mufasa doesnt directly tell Simba to kill Scar,
instead he tells him to remember who he is and this encourages Simba to return to Pride Rock
and take his right place as king. King Hamlet tells Hamlet of the true tale of his death and tells
Hamlet to avenge his death.
Just as the main protagonists are very similar, the antagonists of both works bear striking
character resemblance. Both Scar and Claudius are greedy for power and will do anything in
order to receive this power. Scar and Claudius both kills their respective brothers and take over
the kingdom, instead of the rightful heir. Following this murder, both uncles lie about what killed
the king. Both characters are ruthless and intimidating, using this characteristic to manipulate
those around them into doing what they want. Both uncles send their nephews away in order to
ensure their safety. Both also admit to their crime at some point during the plot. There are little
differences between the two evil, conniving characters. Claudius admits to his crimes and wishes
for forgiveness, as seen in the following quote: Oh, my offence is rank. It smells to heaven. / It
hath the primal eldest curse upon t, / A brothers murder. Pray can I not (Hamlet, III.iii.37-39).
Scar, on the contrary, admits to his crime but not once does he seem to regret his decision or
desire forgiveness for what he did.
The next set of characters are secondary characters that also have a great level of
significance in both works and have similar characteristics to each other. Simbas mother, Sarabi,

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and Hamlets mother, Gertrude, are similar in the respect that they are both the queen and they
both have a significant amount of power but these two bear more differences than similarities.
Gertrude marries Claudius, which angers Hamlet very much and causes their relationship to be
strained. Sarabi doesnt marry Scar or engage romantically with him at all but she does retain her
place as queen of Pride Rock. Also, Sarabi is a very strong female character. She leads the
lionesses and stands up to Scar. Gertrude never once stands up to Claudius and she is very
submissive, to both Hamlet and Claudius. Another set of characters that have more differences
than similarities are the loyal companions, Timon and Pumbaa, from The Lion King and the less
than loyal companions from Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The latter pair were
employed by the king to spy on Hamlet which he picks up on very easily. The first pair take in
Simba when at a tender age, directly after the traumatic death of his father. They teach him a
carefree life under the infamous motto, Hakuna Matata and stick by his side whenever he
needs. The only real similarities between the two pairs of friends is that they both provide a bit of
comic relief from the tragic events that occur in both tales. Timon and Pumbaa lighten up the
mood with a slew of jokes and carefree activities and even a song while Hamlet finds much
delight in making Rosencrantz and Guildenstern the butt of his quick-tongued jokes. There is
also the fact that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were once very close childhood friends of
Hamlet and Timon and Pumbaa are childhood friends that continued to be loyal.
All of the above characters have a strong correlation to one another and they add to the
plot of both works which are also very similar but also very different. There are several critical
plot points that are the same but also very different. For instance, both the uncles kill the father
of the king but in much different ways. Scar drops his brother off of the top of a rock and into a
stampede while Claudius poured poison into King Hamlets ear. Another plot point like this is the

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death of both uncles. Hamlet stabs his uncle and then proceeds to make him drink the poison he
concocted to kill Hamlet. However, when Simba kills Scar he throws him off of the top of a rock
and into the mouths of the hyenas, who were once his allies. In a way, this is Simbas way of
making Scar drink his own poison. Scar used the hyenas to torture and torment the remaining
lions and lionesses of Pride Rock and in turn, Simba pushes him to them to finish off the kill.
Another scene is the apparition of the King. In The Lion King, Mufasa appears to Simba in the
sky pretty far into the movie. In Hamlet, King Hamlet appears to Hamlet as a ghost in the woods
in one of the first scenes of the play. Even though they occur at different parts of the plot, both
apparitions lead to a similar To be, or not to be? (III.i.77) scene. Hamlet utters the words
before one of his most famous soliloquies and during the soliloquy, he contemplates his place in
the world and whether he should live to fulfill what is expected of him or to kill himself. He
chooses not to kill himself but to fulfill his destiny. Simbas similar scene occurs directly after
Mufasa reminds him who he is and at this moment Simba chooses between his carefree life and
his rightful seat as king of Pride Rock. These plot similarities and differences adds to the
emphasis of major themes in both The Lion King and Hamlet.
The themes that arise in both works are also very similar, as was the case with the
characters and plot. The major themes addressed in The Lion King and Hamlet are revenge,
responsibility and loss. The theme of revenge develops more significantly throughout the entire
storyline of Hamlet and more towards the end of The Lion King. Nevertheless, both Hamlet and
Simba struggle with avenging the deaths of their fathers for different reasons. Simba doesnt
know who killed his father and is convinced it was his fault, while Hamlet wants to make sure
Claudius actually did murder his father before he makes any rash decisions. This theme is
significant to the plot of both storylines because it contributes very heavily to the resolution.

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Although both works end very differently, revenge drives the characters to this ending and solves
the major conflicts that were present. The theme of responsibility is very significant in both
works from the beginning to the end. In The Lion King, Simba learns as a young cub that he will
one day rule over Pride Rock and that it will be a huge responsibility for him to carry but it is a
job he must do because that is his birthright. Hamlet, on the other hand, is aware of his
responsibility to rule the kingdom but continues to run from this responsibility by stalling his
revenge for the death of his father. Both Hamlet and Simba stray from their responsibilities but
after enduring several different conflicts and obstacles both return to their kingdom ready to take
on their uncles and accept the responsibility that belongs to them. The last theme that develops
throughout both The Lion King and Hamlet is loss. Loss is evident from the beginning of
Hamlet and from the death of Mufasa. The protagonists experience a great loss with the deaths of
their fathers and they both mourn very heavily over this loss. After losing their fathers, they both
also lost the close relationships they had with their mothers and their sense of responsibility.
These themes help to develop the characters and plots of both The Lion King and Hamlet and
because of this they are very important parts of both stories.
Although they are different in several ways, it would be almost impossible for one to
miss the influence of Shakespeares Hamlet on Disneys The Lion King. This affirms the fact
that Shakespeares works have and will continue to inspire entertainment for years upon years.
The Lion King takes the characters, plot, and theme of Hamlet interpret them in such a way that
a child can understand them, without the true meaning of the original work being misconstrued
or destroyed. This is evident in their countless striking similarities while both continue to be
unique in their own way.