The play Hamlet offers a story of a Danish royal family and conflicts arising within it after the death of the king. After the king dies, Prince Hamlet seems stricken by grief, as he knew that his senior brother had killed their father, married Gertrude, and had taken his position as the new ruler. The old king’s ghosts tells Hamlet that Claudius murdered him and that he should kill his senior brother as revenge. The new king and Hamlet are in conflict, as each individual wants to murder the other. One of the minor characters in the Hamlet includes Francisco who plays a role of a guard at the Elsinore. Francisco is depressed and seems unhappy for having to work during the nights. William Clayton, a character in the movie Tarzan, represents the character of Francisco in Hamlet. Additionally, both films exhibit some similarities.
Clayton becomes the primary antagonist in the film Tarzan after the death of Sabor. Clayton is the biggest challenge towards the gorillas. Similarly, Francisco plays a role of a guardian and is responsible for protecting against any scenario of invasion towards the royal family (Jay 4). Secondly, Clayton inspires others to capture Tarzan and his gorilla family, which is similar to the role of Francisco. Moreover, Francisco is against the decision of Claudius to kill the king and assume his position (Jay 4). Both characters are not happy with what they do and, therefore, experience depression often.
The two films exhibit similarities regarding the story plots. In both cases, the protagonists’ families rule the lands. In regards to Tarzan, Clayton takes over the title of Lord Greystoke after the parents of the protagonist are thought to be dead. For Hamlet, Claudius kills his father, the king of Denmark, and takes over his powers and wife (David 3). Thus, while the character of Clayton resembles that of Francisco in both of the films, the two movies share common themes.
- David, Yates. The Legend of Tarzan. Drama film. 2016, Web.
- Jay, Halio “Essential Hamlet” 2012, Web. https://learn.stleonards.vic.edu.au/ibeng/files/2013/11/Essential-HAMLET.pdf
- Kinney, Arthur F. Hamlet: Critical Essays. Vol. 23. Routledge, 2013.
