Alongside Faline from "Bambi" (1942) and Maid Marian from "Robin Hood" (1973) added, Nala belongs to a trio of Disney heroines who, after having been separated from their love interests for several years, eventually reunite with them. Stephens believes that Nala and Simba's separation allows the characters to fall in love "properly" upon reuniting as young adults. Because "The Lion King" is loosely based on William Shakespeare's tragedy "Hamlet", Nala is considered to be the film's "representative" of the "Hamlet" character Ophelia, Hamlet's love interest. Both characters' relationships with and opinions of their love interests are similar, however, there are several differences between the two women. "The Daily Californian"'s Miyako Singer argued that "Nala is no poor, tragic Ophelia", instead resembling a "fierce princess warrior" similar to the strong heroines Disney introduced during the 1990s. Unlike Ophelia, Nala does not succumb to insanity, nor does she eventually die. Instead, Nala establishes herself as a powerful ally by encouraging Simba to return to Pride Rock, and helping the character overthrow Scar. Additionally, Nala is a more stubborn character than Ophelia, the latter of whom is quite passive and obedient. While Ophelia is raised by a single father, Nala is raised solely by her mother, which inspired Allen to believe that Nala is a manifestation of how Ophelia would have turned out had she been raised by a woman instead of a man, concluding, "Nala is able to show the potential that Ophelia could have had.".