Chapter 5: The One True King
Young, innocent lion Hamlet has never felt more alone and unworthy since he ran away from his protected home and kingdom of Pride Rock. Prince Hamlet’s home was lush, full of light and life. After witnessing the tragic death of his father, King Hamlet, ruler of the Pride Lands, Hamlet flees. He feels guilt and regret that he is responsible, at least that’s what his uncle Claudius told him. Hamlet was lucky to have met some friends in this random place in the desert - Rosencrantz, a kind warthog who is always happy and enjoys life, and Guildenstern, an outcast meerkat with a sense of humour who comes across as confident but is actually afraid of his own shadow. The threesome grow up together living the carefree “hakuna matata” life eating bugs and singing, while Hamlet escapes his duty to be king. However, they do not compare to the love of his life Ophelia and his best friend in Pride Rock, Horatio. Claudius has taken over the Pride Lands, after he guilted Hamlet to run away when King Hamlet died.
Hamlet gets sick to his stomach thinking about the events that led to his father’s death. Eager to be an adult lion, Hamlet was practicing his roar in a valley when a stampede started. Hamlet cried “Help me, Dad!”, and of course King Hamlet came to his rescue. After placing Hamlet on a high rock to safety, King Hamlet tried to break away from the mad, charging wildebeest by jumping on another rock, but little Hamlet could not see him. Claudius was there and accusingly told Hamlet that he saw him fall and get run over by hundreds of wildebeest. King Hamlet died that day. As Hamlet sobbed next to his father’s lifeless body, Claudius told Hamlet it was all his fault and that he should run away and never come back. With these memories Hamlet’s tail scurried between his legs as he laid down on the hot, hard sand somewhere in the desert. Tears filled his eyes. He definitely was not in Pride Rock anymore.
Hamlet’s heart is broken in two; the loss of his father has left him in deep grief feeling upset and mad. Mad that his father said he would always be there for him and upset because now he is not. Hamlet yells up at the dark sky with not one star in sight, “You said you would always be there for me!” Breathlessly, he bawls, “You said you would never leave me!” Hamlet lowered his head down to the ground and silently wept, but then suddenly, a bright white light appeared, and he heard something coming from above. He looked up and couldn't believe what he saw. It was King Hamlet!
“My dear child, Hamlet.” King Hamlet said with a stern voice as always.
“Father?!” Hamlet responded in a confused and joyful manner, swiping his hand over his tear-blurred eyes to see more clearly.
There in the bright, blue sky amidst the towering green trees, there was a collage of fluffy, white clouds that joined together to form the great, magnificent shape that is King Hamlet.
King Hamlet lovingly disciplining and teaching, “You have forgotten who you are and you have forgotten me. Look inside yourself Hamlet. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place as the one true king. Remember you are the king”
Hamlet intently listening calls out, “Dad, I’ve missed you! I’m sorry! Come here!”
King Hamlet’s ghost starts to dissolve as he reminds cub Hamlet, “Remember you are the king”
Hamlet shrieks, “Dad, don’t leave me!”
“Remember you are the king”, Hamlet’s father’s ghost faintly repeats.
And with that, the clouds that had once formed King Hamlet were gone. The world went dark. Hamlet slept on the words his father’s ghost told him. They replayed in his mind all night.
From the day we arrive on the planet
And, blinking, step into the sun,
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done.
Some say eat or be eaten.
Some say live and let live.
But all are agreed as they join the stampede,
You should never take more than you give.
Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars.
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with the scars.
There's far too much to take in here,
More to find than can ever be found.
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps the great and small on the endless round.
It's the circle of life,
And it moves us all.
Through despair and hope,
Through faith and love
'Til we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle,
The circle of life.
He finally understood that he can no longer run from the past and he must go home, confront his Uncle Claudius, avenge his father, and fulfill his duty taking over as King of the Pride Lands.
Reflection
This version of Hamlet was adapted to fit the storyline of The Lion King. The Lion King and Hamlet have many similarities in terms of plot, characters and their development, and themes. In this adaptation of Hamlet, some of the initial similar plot events are brought out showcasing the corresponding characters, highlighting Hamlet’s initial inaction to later realization, and identical themes of self-identity, struggle for power, rightful revenge, and physical and moral corruption. In addition, this adaptation includes a few of Shakespeare’s literary techniques employed in Hamlet– rhetorical repetitive speech, comic relief, metaphors, imagery, and soliloquies – to convey themes through emphasis.
Each character from Hamlet was briefly changed to fit the matching character in The Lion King. For example, Hamlet embodies Simba, King Hamlet is Mufasa, Claudius is Scar, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Pumbaa and Timon; respectively, Ophelia represents Nala and Horatio is Rafiki. Similar to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Pumbaa and Timon are the comedic relief of my adaptation of The Lion King as they console cub Hamlet and provide a happy atmosphere. Although The Lion King is meant for a younger audience, Hamlet and Simba have a very similar story and descent as they are both princes from royal families and they both lost their father (king) due to their uncle and must avenge their death. Therefore, Hamlet was able to symbolize Simba without altering either story too much. Another paralleled plot event between Hamlet and The Lion King depicted in my adaptation above is the visualization of the king in ghost form to their son; King Hamlet to Hamlet (act 1 scene 4 and 5) and Mufasa to Simba. In both stories, the ghostly father directly or indirectly tells their son they have a duty to become king. I also added the inner conflict that Hamlet in Hamlet experienced when trying to understand his ghostly father’s words in the same fashion that Simba reflected on his father’s advice. Both characters displayed feelings of sorrow, betrayal, and revenge which was brought out in my adaptation using both dialogue (prose) and imagery when I said, “I’m sorry,” “don’t leave me” and “the clouds that had once formed King Hamlet were gone. The world went dark.” Due to the target audience of my adaptation and Simba’s age in contrast to that of Hamlet, it was important to bluntly state Hamlet’s sadness and anger towards his father for leaving him to make it relevant for a younger audience. In addition, both Hamlet and Simba face a form of exile. Scar convinces Simba that Mufasa’s death was his fault and tells him to leave, and similarly, Hamlet is forced to go to England by Claudius.
Self-identity is a major theme in both stories as both protagonists (Simba and Hamlet) are unsure of where they belong, or if they do belong. This is evident in my adaptation when I say that Hamlet feels “unworthy.” The moment in which their ghostly father appears in both Hamlet and The Lion King was a major turning point for Hamlet and Simba, respectively. In Hamlet, this is before his hamartia, anagnorisis, and peripeteia but this scene sparks all three of these events. In The Lion King, this is the moment in which Simba decides/realizes he must go back home and fight for his kingdom. Hamlet’s struggle for power in my adaption is another major theme in both stories as Hamlet in Hamlet has many external obstacles and internal conflict to become king and similarly, Simba must confront Scar and is not sure if that is the life he wants.
This chapter of a novel was written in past tense in a third person point of view, suggesting an omniscient narrator which allows for a more descriptive story particularly when there are multiple characters of importance. It lets the reader see into every character’s thoughts rather than just the main character. This is in contrast to Hamlet’s first person point of view. This adaptation purposely does not include complex diction as it is meant to be a children’s book that is easy to comprehend. The only philosophical line in this adaptation is “You have forgotten who you are, and you have forgotten me.” This line is necessary to prove that King Hamlet believes Hamlet has lost faith in himself and that he must become “the one true king.” In contrast, Hamlet’s ghostly father orders revenge directly: “So art thou to revenge…” (1, 5, 8). In addition, both stories use imagery and metaphors to symbolize love and morality; light and greenery represent affection and moral behaviour, whereas darkness and lifeless scenery mean corrupt and evil action. I alluded to the fact that Hamlet/Simba’s father was the light of their worlds. This was evident when I say, “a bright white light appeared” when King Hamlet comes to visit Hamlet and when I use the metaphor, “Hamlet’s world went dark.” when King Hamlet left. This metaphor added emphasis and power to Hamlet’s words. The “lush” grounds when King Hamlet was ruler of the Pride Lands also symbolizes his morality and foreshadows what is to come under Claudius’ corrupt rule. Furthermore, I attempted to use Shakespeare’s level of imagery with The Lion King’s setting. This was seen through the descriptive adjectives used on the cartoon-like sky: “There in the bright, blue sky amidst the towering green trees, there was a collage of fluffy, white clouds that joined together to form the great, magnificent shape that is King Hamlet.” Lastly, Shakespeare expressed Hamlet’s inner thoughts through soliloquies. In my adaption, I excerpted the lyrics from The Lion King’s “Circle of Life” as cub Hamlet’s soliloquy when reflecting on his father’s wishes. These lyrics go through cub Hamlet’s thought process when deciding to return home to take back his kingdom.
This chapter is meant to occur rather early in the play portraying Hamlet’s inaction and realization of his destiny to avenge his father and become king. Similar to Hamlet, this adaptation illustrates the protagonist’s growth that action is necessary to make right the wrongs of the past.
References
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet.
Mecchi, Irene, et al. The Lion King. Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 2003.
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