Why Simba is the true Conspirator

[KopaLeo]

Why Simba is the True Conspirator, and Scar is Just a Scapegoat

By cioz
Translated by KopaLeo

Translator's Note: this is translated from a recent post at another TLK forum, the original post contained a full article, and several ensued debates. I hope I had translated accurately, if there's any confusion about the words, please ask and I'll try to clarify it. The debates will also be partly translated soon.


Think about it, Simba’s “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” was immediately ensued by Mufasa’s murder by Scar. It’s possible that it was conspired by Simba. Unfortunately for him, he was too naïve to think that he could become the king if he simply killed his father, while the truth was completely otherwise.

Or, from another perspective, Simba was a very, very deep-thinking conspirator: when his ambition was first showed, what was contained in him was actually a grander plan, one that would make him the king in the fastest way possible. Because through out the history, examples of princes waiting to be king, and end up dying before their fathers are numerous. Mufasa was a very much supported king, and one with such good health that Simba could die before him. And even if he did manage to be the king, he would be living under his father’s shadows and wouldn’t become a great king, in other words, never being able to be a better king than his father.

So after so much analysis, we can conclude that Simba was planning to kill his father, but also claim his throne like a great hero. As an old saying goes, “It’s never too young to be ambitious.” Simba was already mature in conspiring when he was a cub. Not only did he manage to survive from the Elephant Graveyard, but he also successfully made use of Scar’s ambition to get rid of his father. Actually, in Simba’s eyes, Scar was merely keeping the throne for him temporarily. He was a tool for Simba to magnify his heroic feat: the worse Scar ruled, the better would Simba rule comparatively.

That’s why Simba returned just after he grew up. And Simba’s conspiracy was very manifest now: he sowed discord between the hyenas and Scar, so that the hyenas would do the dirty jobs for him, thus the disrepute of killing one’s family was avoided.

The fact is that this shortcut was very fast indeed. Ordinarily (compare Kiara and Kovu), lions who had just matured needed to wait a long time to be king. Now Simba the conspirator managed to kill both birds with one stone, making himself both the king and the hero. As for the talk with Rafiki and his father’s ghost, that was faked, and he needed a proper excuse to return after all. Rafiki provided him with just the opportunity.

But even conspirators plan a way out in case of failure, and Simba knew that his conspiracy would be exposed as time goes, making him infamous. That’s why he indirectly made Scar’s stepson the king under the cover of apparent conflicts. Scar the poor ill-skilled conspirator would be speechless if he could know that. Unaware of Simba’s manipulation, and finally died in his own conspiracy without a clue, all because he was not smart enough.

So, to make Kovu the king, was to seal Scar’s followers’ mouth, in case they uncover Simba’s conspiracy one day. Because their social status was bestowed by Simba, which was seen by all, they daren’t express any anti-Simba opinion, or they would lose their social status.

But hadn’t anyone seen through Simba’s conspiracy? The answer should be yes. Now the TLK1.5, which was purely-for-entertainment, unrelated to the first two movies, came to aid the analysis. Timon and Pumbaa saw through Simba’s conspiracy clearly, but they were the permanently benefited, the Credited Ministers (this is so hard to translate!), and they never attracted more fame than their king (through out history, for the servants of the king, it is a dangerous thing to have more fame and glory than their king, because from the king’s perspective, it is a sign of disrespect, even usurpation), so they were the best politicians: they contributed little to fighting the hyenas, they fed Simba with grubs only, and they almost decided to just let Simba die. Even so, they grabbed the chance and became the Credited Ministers. After all has been settled and it was their time to talk, they just kept their mindless humorous smiles even at Mufasa’s death scene, which give me no reason to not believe that Timon and Pumbaa knew Simba’s conspiracy from the start, saw through it, and made use of it.

Poor Mufasa, murdered by Scar the conspirator; poor Scar, manipulated by Simba the greater conspirator; poor Simba, utilized by Timon and Pumbaa the most Machiavellian of all. This tells us that there’s no end to conspiring, when we make use of others, we are simultaneously made use of by someone else. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind (idiom, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi). This is an old saying which is always very true.

[DGFone]

As you didn't write this, I won't call you an idiot, but I will call the original author one:

Ever heard of time constraints? A Disney movie (for some reason) can only be 90 minutes long. That's not a lot of time to work with. This is why, as the article puts it, "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" happens right before Mufasa's death.

My reaction to the article in one word: Lol?

[KopaLeo]

——Your head is broken.

——It is an “original” thought…


I’m not an idiot.

I suppose everyone know that TLK was adopted from Hamlet. Hamlet wasn’t a simple play, but utterly complicated, including Hamlet the character. Deeper analysis shows that at least he also adopted conspiracy to achieve his justice, some even claim that he is not a positive character at all.

So we must analyze TLK dialectically. Simba’s talent couldn’t be fully manifest in an age of harmony, but could in a time of turmoil. It is not untenable to say that Simba was similar to Cao Cao (note 1) Think about it, if you have great political talent, but couldn’t use it due to harmonic social condition, what would you do? Simba chose to make the society fall into a state of turmoil, then come to rescue and become the hero.

note 1:Cao Cao is a classical Machiavellian character, who was represented as a cunning and deceitful man in Chinese Opera. He was famously quoted, “I would rather that everyone were betrayed by me, instead of me being betrayed by everyone.”

[AdAstrα]

[quote="DGFone"]As you didn't write this, I won't call you an idiot, but I will call the original author one:

Ever heard of time constraints? A Disney movie (for some reason) can only be 90 minutes long. That's not a lot of time to work with. This is why, as the article puts it, "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" happens right before Mufasa's death.

My reaction to the article in one word: Lol?[/quote]
My thoughts exactly. Sorry, but I find this article ridiculous.

[KopsTheTerminator]

Over-analysing much? It wasn't Disney's intention to make Simba the villain. END OF STORY. It's a nice alternate TLK theory though.

[Annie]

Dear me...

Everyone wants there to be a conspiricy with everything. From TLK, to 9/11, to Micheal Jacksons death and almost everything else that happens!
Simba was a small child, who was heart broken and emotionally crippled when his father was murdered infront of his eyes. As far as IJKWTBK is concerned, he couldn't wait to be kind, that is true, but I'm sure he wanted to grow up with his Dad and learn from him. Killing his father and running away to the jungle would achieve nothing good. He'd know nothing about being king and have to learn very very quickly!

[FlipMode]

I am not buying it, to be perfectly honest with you. But nonetheless, it is nice to see a refreshing theory at least. And it is at least well researched, remember one can make a theory without necessarily believing in it which is exactly what the case is with the OP from the sound of it (depending on how well it was translated). I really cannot make any va lid argument against it, other than to say I personally do not think that it is true, and that is a sign of a good article. It does not matter if you do not believe in the article, it is still a good read and well presented as far as I am concerned.

Thanks for sharing.

[WildSimba]

Though an interesting theory, one thing is flawed about it. There actually is quite a bit of a time lapse between I Just Can't Wait to be King and Mufasa's death. Think about it, Simba and Nala go to the Elephant Graveyard, and almost get killed and Mufasa saves them. Then Scar actually literally plots the assasination in the song "Be Prepared". And THEN the stempede/death scene happens. Obviously, quite a bit happened in between the time I Just Can't Wait to be King played out, and the time Mufasa died.

[Azdgari]

So your theory hinges on the assumption that a cub who loved his father more than anything in his life (especially evidenced by the scene where Mufasa scolds them and they end up bonding hardcore) actually wanted to kill him so he could take his throne?

[TheLionQueen]

[quote="Azdgari"]So your theory hinges on the assumption that a cub who loved his father more than anything in his life (especially evidenced by the scene where Mufasa scolds them and they end up bonding hardcore) actually wanted to kill him so he could take his throne?[/quote]

Exactly!

And my addition to this post. Even if Simba wanted to kill his father (Which he DIDN'T) he wouldn't even take the throne. Once Mufasa dieds the suited heir, 'Meaning old enough, trained,' would become the king. So Simba would end up excuse my language "Screwed!" If he would think he would claim the throne after Mufasa's death.