In class, we started reading the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. At the beginning of the play, we find out that King Hamlet has experienced an unknown death and that King Hamlet’s brother married King Hamlet’s wife and is now king. Hamlet doesn’t agree with the marriage at all and is confused on what had happened to his dad. To me, this play is very similar to the movie, The Lion King, in many ways.
In the play, Hamlet, the watchmen, Bernardo, Marcellus, and Horatio believe they have seen the ghost of King Hamlet even though the ghost doesn’t say anything. The three of them believe it’s the ghost without hearing its voice because the armor it was wearing was just like that of King Hamlet. They get terrified and even try to talk to the ghost, but the ghost still doesn’t say a word. Horatio then thinks the ghost will only talk to King Hamlet’s son. The men then tell Hamlet about the ghost, and Hamlet then sees the ghost for himself at night. The ghost of King Hamlet tells Hamlet that Hamlet’s uncle killed him with poison. The ghost also asks Hamlet to seek revenge on the uncle because the uncle is going to destroy what Denmark is. Hamlet agrees and doesn’t tell anyone anything about it.
In the movie, The Lion King, the king is also killed by his own brother. At the beginning of the movie, the king, Mufasa, presented the next king in line, his son, Simba. Scar immediately becomes jealous because Scar would never be able to become king. A few years later, Scar tricks Simba, and Simba’s best friend, Nala, to explore an area off limits, which ends with three hyenas attacking them. Mufasa saves the two of them and banishes the hyenas off the land. The hyenas and Scar then plot revenge on Mufasa. They got a huge stampede of wild animals to go towards Simba, and Mufasa then comes out to save Simba. As Mufasa, still carrying Simba, tries to run up a cliff, Scar pushes Mufasa off the edge right into the stampede. This push off the cliff results in Mufasa dying and Scar telling Simba it was all Simba’s fault his dad died. Scar guilt tripping Simba gets Simba to run away and to never come back. After the stampede disappeared, Scar gets in front of the animals of the land and tells them that he’ll take the place as king because both Mufasa and Simba had died. Simba doesn’t find out that the dead of his father wasn’t because of him until later after he’s grown up. Simba comes back to take his place as king and gets Scar to admit to killing Mufasa. Simba then pushes Scar off the cliff to his death.
Both the play and the movie are similar because both kings were killed by their own brother. They were also similar in that both the sons went to go get their revenge to take their place as king.
Escape From Reality 