Deceiving Appearances in “Hamlet” and “The Lion King” Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Some people are two-faced and hide their vicious motives behind a mask of kindness. The deceitfulness of appearances is reflected in Shakespeare’s Hamlet and an animated movie, The Lion King. These two works have many parallels in their depiction of deceiving appearances. In particular, Claudius and Scar represent villains under the guise of well-wishers, while Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from Hamlet and hyenas from The Lion King appear worse than they seem.

Claudius and Scar seem caring and virtuous, but in reality, they wish to usurp power. In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet shifts from being to seeming to make Claudius reveal his true essence (Wilson 5). When Hamlet learns from the ghost that Claudius killed his father, he exclaims: “O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!” (Shakespeare 1.5.106). This quote exposes Claudius’s nature as a person who smiles while contriving murders. In The Lion King, Scar is depicted as an antagonist of Mufasa and Simba since his ill-looking appearance conveys his malicious nature (Dores 4). When Scar tells Simba about the lands beyond the border, he asserts that he cares about Simba’s well-being (The Lion King). This scene reveals his two facades because, in fact, his words are aimed at inciting Simba’s interest in visiting the dangerous land.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and hyenas also have deceiving appearances and seem better than they really are. In the play, Hamlet chastises Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: “Sblood, do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me” (Shakespeare 3.2.399-402). Hamlet considered these two men to be his friends, but they spied on him for Claudius, thus revealing that their friendship was fake. In The Lion King, hyenas grin and laugh when faced with Simba in order to scare him, but when they stand in front of Scar, they quiver, disclosing their weak and cowardly nature. Therefore, hyenas’ appearance is also deceptive because they attempt to look stronger and more fearsome than they really are.

In conclusion, both Hamlet and The Lion King represent the idea of the deceitfulness of appearances. At least some characters in these creative works are two-faced and hide their true motives, thus creating conflicts and putting others in danger. It seems that the authors of these works tried to show the consequences of adopting dishonest behaviors to the audience and warn people against being excessively credulous.

References

Dores, Henrique. “Ego, Discourse and Power: The Lion King Through the Eyes of Metz, Foucault and Bettelheim.” Rhetoric and Communications, no. 39, 2019, pp. 1-5.

The Lion King. Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 1994.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Edited by Philip Edwards, Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Wilson, Jeffrey R. “‘To Be, or not to Be’: Shakespeare Against Philosophy.” Shakespeare, vol. 14, no. 4, 2018, pp. 1-19.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2022, October 21). Deceiving Appearances in "Hamlet" and "The Lion King". https://ivypanda.com/essays/deceiving-appearances-in-hamlet-and-the-lion-king/

Work Cited

"Deceiving Appearances in "Hamlet" and "The Lion King"." IvyPanda, 21 Oct. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/deceiving-appearances-in-hamlet-and-the-lion-king/.

References

IvyPanda. (2022) 'Deceiving Appearances in "Hamlet" and "The Lion King"'. 21 October.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. "Deceiving Appearances in "Hamlet" and "The Lion King"." October 21, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/deceiving-appearances-in-hamlet-and-the-lion-king/.

1. IvyPanda. "Deceiving Appearances in "Hamlet" and "The Lion King"." October 21, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/deceiving-appearances-in-hamlet-and-the-lion-king/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Deceiving Appearances in "Hamlet" and "The Lion King"." October 21, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/deceiving-appearances-in-hamlet-and-the-lion-king/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1