The Lion King

By Millie Hope, Rohanna Craggs, George Moran

01/12/2022
Plot summary of the musical

Based on the 1994 Disney animated feature film and Shakespeare’s Hamlet,
The Lion King is the story of Simba, an adventurous lion cub who is next in
line to be king of the Pride Lands, a region in the African savanna. 
When Simba’s father Mufasa is killed by his uncle Scar, though, Simba is led
to believe that his father’s death is his fault, and he is encouraged by his
uncle to run away forever.
Leaving the life he knew behind, He meets two hilarious and unlikely
friends, so Simba starts anew. 
Back in the pride lands, Scar seizes power and the animals experience a
darkness from which only Simba can save the animals of the kingdom. 
But after the weight of responsibility and a desperate plea from Simba's
friends and family, he must return home.
The now adult Simba must take on an enemy, scar, and fulfill his destiny to
be king.
The Lion King is a story about identity, family, and responsibility that is
enjoyed worldwide by people of all ages. 01/12/2022 3
Plot summary of play

The ghost of the king of Denmark tell his son Hamlet to avenge
his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle.
Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks
revenge.
His uncle, fearing for his life, all devises plots to kill Hamlet.
The play ends with a duel, during which the king, queen,
Hamlet's opponent and Hamlet himself are all killed.
Hamlet's father was unjustly murdered by Claudius (hamlet's
uncle) while he slept in the garden.
Claudius crept up, and killed Hamlet Sr. by pouring a deadly
poison into the "porches" of his ear.

01/12/2022 4
 Similarities between the musical and play Part 1

• Both of their fathers die.

Both King Mufasa and King Hamlet die. Mufasa is murdered by his brother who wants his throne. In the case of Hamlet, the
events are a little less clear. Hamlet sees the ghost of King Hamlet who claims to have been murdered by Claudius
• Both fathers reappear as ghosts.
Mufasa and King Hamlet both make appearances after death. Mufasa appears to Simba in the stars and tells him to take his
proper place as king in the circle of life. Hamlet’s father appears as a ghost and urges Hamlet to take revenge on his uncle.
• Sent into exile.
Simba is convinced by Scar to flee after his father's murder and spends a long time growing up with Timone and Pumbaa in
exile. Claudius also convinces Hamlet to leave and travel to England, where he survives an attack by pirates.
• Internal struggle.
In The Lion King, Simba has to learn to step up and take his place as king instead of running from his past. Hamlet has
overcome his indecision. He ultimately chooses to kill his uncle (a struggle that takes place in his famous "to be or not to
be" soliloquy).
Similarities between the musical and play Part 2

• Main characters are princes.

Simba is the main character in Disney's The Lion King. He is the son of Mufasa, the king of the lions, which makes
Simba a prince. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is the son of the dead King Hamlet, making him a prince.
• Both have shady uncles.
In The Lion King, Simba has an evil uncle named Scar. Scar is jealous of his brother, Mufasa. Scar wants to
be king so he ultimately kills his brother to get what he wants. Hamlet also has an uncle, Claudius. At the
beginning of the play, Claudius has already become king, possibly by killing his brother.
• Close male friendships.
In The Lion King, Simba develops deep friendships with Timone and Pumbaa. The two friends support him while he
is in exile. Hamlet has a friend from college, Horatio. Though Horatio does not have as big of an impact on Hamlet
as Timone and Pumbaa have on Simba, he does help Hamlet on several occasions and can be considered a true
friend.
 Differences between the musical and play

• Simba is a child when his father dies, while Hamlet is an adult.

Simba is a young child when his father dies, whereas Hamlet is probably about 30. There is some debate about Hamlet's age
in the play because he is often referred to vaguely as being very young, but his age is explicitly stated in Act V, Scene 1.
• Simba's story is a happy one.
Simba is sad when his father dies, but spends most of his time growing up in a happy, “Hakuna Matata” lifestyle with Timone
and Pumbaa. Hamlet, on the other hand, is depressed and suicidal for most of his story, possibly with madness.
• Hamlet has a tragic ending.
In The Lion King, only two characters, Mufasa and Scar, die. The rest live happily ever after once the circle of life is restored
along with the rightful king. In Hamlet, most of the characters, including all the main characters, die.
• The number of minor characters differs.
Hamlet includes "extra" plot-relevant characters who play minor roles. For example, Hamlet kills Ophelia’s father, Polonius,
and fights her brother, Laertes. These are crucial events in the play that have no equivalent in The Lion King.
 Who wrote the musical?

The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Walt Disney

Animation Studios' animated feature film of the same name. with
music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, and book by Roger
Allers and Irene Messhi, along with additional music and lyrics
by bebe, M, Mark Mancina, Jay Ritkio, Julie Taxmor, and Hans
Zimmer.
 Who directed the show?

Julie Taymor directed the lion king, the musical. Julie Taymor (born December 15, 1952) is an American director
and writer of theatre, opera and film.

Since her stage play of The Lion King debuted in 1997, 24 productions from all around the world have been seen by
more than 100 million people in over 100 cities in 20 countries. 

Its worldwide love exceeds any entertainment title in box office history.

Taymor was born in Newton, Massachusetts.

Taymor's interest in theatre took root early in her life. By age ten, she had joined the Boston Children's Theatre
and starred in a number of productions.
 What are the key themes? Listen to cast
recordings and make notes on the main songs

from listening to the cast recording, a lot of the songs are sung with the whole ensemble and
in Swahili, Zulu and Xhosa (very small role compared to the other two).
In songs like "I just can't wait to be king“ there's a lot of background singing with sounds like
"ha" "hey/aye (?)" "hmm“ and sometimes "oohs/ hoo" from what I could hear.
In solo songs like "they live in you" you also get noises and the ensemble singing in the
background like an echo in different languages most of the time, like a chant.
In "be prepared" it's also like that with the ensemble humming in the background or chanting
"ha ha ha" or "hehehe“ like a hyena.
https://youtu.be/ewOAsUWQJvo
Thank you for listening!