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A Hero's Journey

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Submitted By karenm
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A Hero’s Journey: Hamlet and Simba What images come to mind as you reflect on your childhood? Playgrounds, blackboards, and soccer balls may be among the warmest of memories. Yet for many mermaids swim their thoughts, princesses get swept of their feet, and lions roar to their loyal place in the animal kingdom. There is no doubt that today’s entertainment has most of its touch using classical influences. Walt Disney has produced animated films that have captured the heart and imagination of audiences of all ages around the world through the magic of storytelling and imagery. Many of us appreciate the imagination and magic that Disney puts into its animations with out knowing they are based off of classical and traditional storylines that have been around for many years. For example the Disney movie The Lion King that is based off of the classical Shakespeare play Hamlet. The Lion King is possibly the most well known movie of the Disney collection that portrays a strong moral to its viewers. The journey that is taken by the characters in this movie is one from innocence to experience through confronting challenging situations. Just how Disney uses magic and imagination to capture its audience William Shakespeare also captured the hearts of people everywhere through the representation of emotions and feeling in his plays. Hamlet is without a question one of the most famous play in English literature. Through Hamlet Shakespeare shows a brilliant depiction of the hero’s struggle with two opposing forces, moral integrity, and the need to avenge his fathers murders. Both The Lion King and Hamlet are stories that share parallels and capture the human eye through what Joseph Campbell calls the hero’s journey. Hamlet, the play is very unpredictable. One cannot easily discern what will happen next due to the extreme mood swings of the main character, Prince

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