Pulsed laser deposition was utilized to grow MnS thin films on c-sapphire substrate using a KrF excimer laser at growth temperatures that ranged from room temperature to $700^{circ}C$. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-visible spectroscopy were employed to investigate the structural and optical properties of the MnS films. While the growth rate decreased as $T_s$ increased, the overall quality of the film improved. The highest quality MnS film was obtained at $700^{circ}C$. Variations in the $T_s$ resulted in the MnS films exhibiting different growth mechanisms. The oriented (200) rocksalt MnS film was grown at room temperature. In the case of higher $T_s,;200{sim}500^{circ}C$, the films consisted of mixed phases of rocksalt and wurtzite. The main structure of the films was altered to (111) rocksalt when the temperature was increased to in excess of $600^{circ}C$. This behavior may very well be the result of elements such as surface energy and atomic arrangement during the growth process. The optical band gap of the obtained ${alpha}-MnS$ film was estimated to be 3.32 eV.