Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragedy where everything goes wrong for the title character and the people around him. Throughout the play, characters suffer as they see their plans develop, from Claudius escalating his rule over Denmark to Laertes making a dishonorable move in his duel with Hamlet. However, there is one exception, one character in the main cast who never makes meaningful plans or faces grand regrets: Horatio. Horatio does not have a personality and character the same way other characters in Hamlet do. Horatio has no strong motivations or ambitions, offers only exposition without driving the plot forward, and does not experience tragedy and suffering the same way other characters in the play do. He only exists to provide information …show more content…
One of the first times Horatio becomes involved in the plot is when Hamlet asks him to confirm Claudius’s guilt. However, this proved unnecessary as Claudius put a dramatic stop to the end of the play the moment he realized what Hamlet knew, saying “Give me some light. Away!” (3, ii, 295) the moment he sees poison poured in the player king’s ear. Horatio is also shown to move th plot forward when he followed Hamlet’s bidding and notifying the king of Hamlet’s return to Denmark. Here, instead of writing to Horatio and asking him to “ Let the King have the letters I have sent,” (4, iv, 22-23) Hamlet insead could have sent a letter directly to Claudius for the same effect. Lastly, Hamlet’s last request to have Horatio live and tell Fortinbras his story in Act 5 Scene ii could have been replaced with Hamlet leaving a journal of his actions to Fortinbras. In this scene, Horatio repeats what he has observed in Denmark to Fortinbras because he is the only remaining character capable of telling the whole story. A journal with a record of Hamlet’s actions could replace Horatio and lead to the same reaction by Fortinbras, again showing Horatio is indeed more of a prop than a full
”(I.i.56-58). Here Horatio confirms that he is the “narrator” of the play and the most sensible observer. However, no matter what, Horatio is still Hamlet’s friend and despite his calm mindedness, at the end of the play Horatio is still faithful to Hamlet and even offers to die with him. “Never believe it; I am more an antique Roman than a Dane: Here’s some liquor left.” (V.ii.344-346).This shows Horatio’s love for Hamlet and loyalty to his friends despite their flaws.
But we must remark how Hamlet speaks of Horatio; he does so in words of passionate admiration. His election had sealed Horatio for himself because in suffering all, Horatio suffered nothing; and it is the man who is not passion’s slave whom he would wear in his heart’s core. How clearly he would be like Horatio! And yet, in the face of what has happened, ought he to be like Horatio? or ought he not to take up arms against his troubles, and violently end them and perhaps thereby himself? (45)
The whole story of Hamlet would not have unraveled as it had were it not for Horatio. Hamlet’s quest for revenge stems from his encounter with his father’s ghost; however it was Horatio who, after seeing the ghost for himself, thought to “impart what we have seen tonight/ Unto young Hamlet…” (I.i.185-86). At the meeting with Hamlet in which Horatio and his friends arrive to tell Hamlet about the ghost, Horatio is set up to be the protagonist’s confidant for the remainder of the play. Hamlet corrects Horatio’s comment that he is Hamlet’s “poor servant ever” by saying, “Sir, my good friend. I’ll change that with you” (I.ii.168-69). Later Horatio solidifies his position as a major character by accepting Hamlet’s request to help him “Observe my uncle” for any suspicious actions during the Murder of Gonzago (III.ii.85). At this point in the play, Hamlet’s trust for Horatio has dev...
After talking with the ghost, Hamlet, comes back to Horatio and Marcellus and tries to explain to them never to let anyone know what has happened. Both are very scared but agree to the prince’s, but both are still looking to find out what happened between the ghost and him. Further on in the evening Hamlet takes Horatio to the side and explains to him that no matter how odd he acted that Horatio say nothing. (And therefore as a stranger-you most need help you Act1 sc5 line 187-202) He basically explained to Horatio that he was going to be acting much differently than normal, and he told him not to ask questions. This here proves he knew what he was going to have to do. It shows that he was willing to get his revenge by any way possible.
William Shakespeare wrote about a distraught prince trying to avenge the wrongful death of his father while all his faith in honesty and the good of man was nearly destroyed. In his play Hamlet, Hamlet is the prince and he is the one who would have lost all his faith in the good of man had it not been for his loyal friend Horatio. Many critics say that Horatio did not play such an important role in the tragedy, that he merely was the informant for the audience and that his character was not developed beyond that fact that he was just the honest confidant of Hamlet. That may be true, however, Horatio does serve two central purposes to the drama, and it is through these purposes that show the qualities that make Horatio memorable and admirable. Horatio is the harbinger of truth. It is through Horatio that the actions taken by Hamlet gain credibility. He is the outside observer to the madness. Hamlet could soliloquize on and on, but it is his conversations with Horatio that gives sanity to Hamlet’s thoughts. His second role is to be the loyal, truthful confidant of Hamlet.
When Horatio, at the end of the soliloquy, enters and greets Hamlet, it is evident that he and Hamlet have not recently met at Elsinore. Yet Horatio came to Elsinore for the funeral (I.ii. 176). Now even if the funeral took place some three weeks ago, it seems rather strange that Hamlet, however absorbed in grief and however withdrawn from the Court, has not met Horatio. . . (368).
Horatio has a unique relationship with Hamlet. Throughout the play, Horatio remains his main confidant and source of emotional support. Horatio is truly Hamlet’s only colleague who listens to and sincerely cares about him. Ophelia is acting on Polonius’ agenda; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern obviously care only about Claudius. In such a miserable situation, Horatio’s decent character would be hypervisible to Hamlet and his attraction—nay, need for him—becomes almost a coping mechanism.
Horatio is Shakespeare's utilitarian character. Horatio serves as a foil to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, prompts Hamlet to disclose his feelings, gives vital information in the form of exposition (verbal or in a letter) or verification of Hamlet's reality, and helps to build the suspense of the play. The only emotional aspect of his character is that he remains alive, and serves as a vehicle for Shakespeare's moral of Hamlet.
In Hamlet, Shakespeare develops the character of Hamlet through numerous soliloquies and long speeches. Not only is the use of these literary devices difficult for the actor, but it is also draining on the audience, who must listen to the monotony of the same person speak continually for several minutes, without any interruption. Playwrights developed plays to appeal to both the audience and the prominent stage actors of the period. Shakespeare needed a means to reduce the amount of time Hamlet talks to himself. The addition of another character, Horatio, provides this, by turning what might have been a tedious monologue into a more manageable dialogue between two characters. Horatio fulfills this role of Hamlet’s friend and confidant, someone to whom Hamlet can talk and explain his ideas.
Alas, he knows that there was, in fact, a ghost of the king haunting Denmark, and that Hamlet spoke to him. After Hamlet speaks with the ghost he literally tells Horatio, verbatim, "Here, as before, never, so help you mercy, how strange or odd some'er I bear myself (As i perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on." I. ii. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. 189-192. So, ahead of time Hamlet warns Horatio that he is going to be putting on a show of madness, but it is not real.
There are many ways to interpret Hamlet 's relationship with Horatio. Most obviously, Horatio is the only person in the play that Hamlet trusts. He is the only one who knows for certain that Hamlet 's madness is an act, the one person Hamlet confides in personally, and the one whom bids Hamlet goodnight upon his death. Considering his conflicts with his family, Horatio is the only "family" Hamlet has. He understands that Horatio is very rational and thoughtful, yet not overly pensieve like himself. As the play continues, Horatio questions Hamlet 's judgment twice. Once is when Hamlet tells him of a letter from King Claudius that he has found in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern 's pack, telling the King of England that he must have Hamlet killed. The second instance is when Hamlet tells Horatio that he will fight Laertes, son of Polonius, who Hamlet killed earlier in the play. Horatio loves Hamlet with all his heart, but he is directed by a more sensible disposition, which makes him to speak the truth to Hamlet, despite the fact that Hamlet never once takes Horatio 's warnings. In fact, there is only a single point in the play at which Horatio loses his sensible outlook, and it is but a momentary loss. At the end of the play, when Hamlet is killed in his fight with Laertes, Horatio, in his grief, offers to kill himself with his own sword. It is Hamlet 's dying request that Horatio tell
Throughout literature, there a character who provides a moral compass for other characters. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Horatio’s character seems fairly simple: somewhat of a “yes-man” to Hamlet, often agreeing with anything Hamlet says. However, at the end of the play we understand his significance, as he is one of the last survivors. This transition is unexpected because for most of the play, Horatio is a reserved character and doesn’t speak very often. Despite this, it is clear that Horatio and Hamlet’s friendship is extremely deep, and Hamlet trusts Horatio more than anybody. At first, the relationship is one of a prince and an advisor, but as the play goes on we realize they are in fact close friends. Horatio is much more than a “yes-man” to Hamlet, even though this may not be visible for most of the play. This friendship is due to three of Horatio’s characteristics: trustworthiness, loyalty, and admiration, which make him an ideal friend to Hamlet. These traits also inspire confidence in Horatio from other characters in the play. Even Shakespeare shows that he values Horatio by allowing him to survive at the end of the play.
Horatio once again discourages Hamlet from entering a dangerous situation. When a Lord informs Hamlet that the Queen wants him to duel Laertes, Horatio warns that he will lose. Even with the knowledge that Hamlet has committed murder and plans to do it again, Horatio still tries to preserve Hamlet’s safety. His actions, or lack thereof, during the duel itself also provide strong insight into the purpose of Horatio’s singularity as a character. In his paper about Horatio’s narrative ability, David Thatcher criticizes the way Horatio remains “conspicuously silent” for much of the play, including the duel scene (248).
The connection never weakened, it became stronger as Hamlet and Horatio were inseparable. As Hamlet persisted and executed his plans, it was Horatio, who guided him to master his plan against Claudius. An astute man, who along Hamlet brought to clarity the dark, untold story of King Hamlet’s death and the person behind the silent murder. “Observe my uncle” (Act 3. Sc. 2, line 85), words from Hamlet to Horatio before the discovery. The plan consisted in the death of Claudius, one that would pay King Hamlet’s
Horatio, you’re about to know everything. I’ll start with telling you the letter I wrote to the King of England.