"The Lion King"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the story of "The Lion King" is a serious drama with comic moments containing "real issues" of guilt, despair, alienation, and the need to take responsibility, which is similar to "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare, both of which are based on archetypal myth. The author points out that, whereas the animated film was tremendously popular and profitable, "The Lion King" stage play forever changed children's theater, stretching the boundaries of children's theater so that children's plays are now often very rich in content and in stage-craft and a little scary in places. The paper concludes that the success of "The Lion King" is that it not only entertains children but also leaves them with a moral template of loyalty, social responsibility and spirituality, which are pro-social values precious to society.

From the Paper:

"Myths contain archetypal characters who speak to human beings at a deep level of consciousness. Simba and Hamlet are archetypes of the mythical child in exile. An archetype is an image that appears over and over in literature and myths and so is familiar to us all. The stories of Jesus, Moses, Buddha and Perseus (as well as Simba and Hamlet) all are about the mythical child in exile. Myths may not be literally true, but they contain essential truths, which resonate in the hearts of human beings. Myths always involve the "world of mystery and imagination, of feeling, participation and transformation...in the creation of order and of a secure reality out of darkness of the unknown.""

More papers on "The Lion King" :

• Analytical Essay # 127521 : "Staging "The Lion King"
• Film Review # 121465 : "Hero of "The Lion King"
• Book Review # 93739 : "Film: "The Lion in Winter"

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