Ignorance Leads to Different Results

Ignorance Leads to Different Results        

 A great number of literary works starts with the ignorance of the main character, who will confront different kinds of problems. At the same time they will be challenged by their enemies. And in the process, they will try their best to find their ways to solve the problem. In both Hamlet  (William Shakespeare 2012) and The Lion King (Walt Disney 1994), they present different consequences from the lack of knowledge of the protagonist. Hamlet and Simba know nothing about the truth, and they have something in common which is that they want to fulfill their responsibility to their fathers. Ignorance leads people to seek the truth to acquire an understanding of their situation. Shakespeare depicts the journey of Prince Hamlet and his desire to avenge his father. The Lion King, is an American animated musical film produced by Walt Disney in 1994. Simba as the new heir to the throne fights with his evil Uncle Scar to take his place as the rightful king.

  For starters, the ignorance of the truth might greatly confuse people to prevent them from taking actions instantly. The ignorance of their fathers’ death is a big mystery for both of them, which makes these two main characters confused and  make them hesitate for a long time. In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet does not know if the ghost is telling the truth, or if the spirit is deceiving him. The first time when Hamlet encounters the ghost “By thou a spirit of health or goblin damned… I’ ll can thee ‘Hamlet,’ ‘King,’ ‘Father,’ ‘Royal Dane” (Hamlet, Act1. sc. 4, 44-50). This quotation expresses that the ghost that talks to Hamlet looks like his father. After Hamlet talks with a spirit, he still cannot completely believe in the ghost:“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy” (Hamlet, Act1. sc. 5, 187-188). Hamlet tells his best friend Horatio his thought, which shows he is skeptical about the ghost. This makes Hamlet try to find the evidence to prove the spirit's word, which delays the revenge. Similarly, Simba has no idea about Mufasa’s death so that he has thought that he was responsible for his father’s death for a long time. When Simba finds his father’s dead body “There were wildebeests, and he tried to save me. It was an accident. I didn’t mean for it to happen” ( The Lion King, 00:38:02). At this time, he believes that he is responsible for his father’s death. When Simba encounters Nala, who argues with Simba about whether he should go back and take responsibility. However Simba is not brave enough to face his responsibility "No, I’m not the king. Maybe I was gonna be… but that was a long time ago” ( The Lion King, 00:56:55). In Simba's perspective, he dares to confront the past so that he escape from his homeland and make excuses for his cowardly behavior "Hakuna matata. It’s something I learned out here. Look, sometimes bad things happen… and there’s nothing you can do about it, so why worry?” ( The Lion King, 01:01:41).

 Moreover, these two main characters are in great danger because of not knowing of their enemies' plot. For Hamlet and Simba, their enemies are King Claudius and Scar, who plot to kill them secretly by deceiving them. During Hamlet's journey to England, "Ere we were two days old at sea, a pirate of very warlike appointment gave us chase… They have dealt with me like thieves of mercy: but they knew what they did; I am to do a good turn for them. (Hamlet, Act4. sc. 6, 15-22). At this time, although Hamlet is in danger during the journey to England, he has no awareness that his uncle intends to kill him. However, when he finds a letter from King Claudius, Hamlet realizes that the main aim of King Claudius is to kill him. "Where I found, Horatio, A royal knavery-an exact command...That on the supervise, no leisure bated, no, not to stay the grinding of the ax, My head should be struck off” ( Hamlet, Act5. sc. 2, 21-28). In the same way, Scar is angry due to being unable to take over the throne so that he plots to kill Mufasa and Simba to take the place as King. Therefore, Scar tries his best to encourage Simba to go to the most dangerous places.