Hamlet Horatio Analysis

In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Horatio is the confidant as Hamlet plots revenge against King Claudius, the murderer of King Hamlet. He listens to his friend’s plans without revealing them to the other characters. He is essentially the keeper of all truth. Unlike the other characters, Horatio seems to be the only person that Hamlet could trust without fearing that he would betray him. Known for his logic and sanity, Horatio is the complete opposite of Hamlet’s impulsive behavior. Although subtle, Horatio’s personality traits allow the audience to understand Hamlet’s mind in-depth. Due to this, Hamlet is comfortable giving Horatio awareness of his plans to avenge his father. Despite his minor role and based on a recent professor to student discussion,

As a result of his faithfulness, he becomes a playwright of his friend. As Horatio notices that Hamlet is about to die, he states, “ Never believe it. / I am more an antique Roman than a Dane. / Here’s yet some liquor left” (V.2.323-325). Horatio does not want to continue living if his close friend dies. Moreover, he wants to commit suicide so that he can keep Hamlet’s secret of his insanity. If he dies, no one else would have the knowledge of Hamlet’s plan to kill his uncle. In Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Hamlet, the audience may notice that Horatio is holding the poisoned cup while Hamlet is on the ground, dying (Branagh). Horatio is having a difficult time accepting that Hamlet will die soon, and that he will no longer have a purpose of living if his friend dies. However, as soon as Horatio places the tip of the cup near his mouth, Hamlet urges him not to, causing Horatio to stay alive (Branagh). If Horatio did drink, then whoever arrives in the castle would not understand how everyone is dead. Therefore, the dying Hamlet wants Horatio to live so that he can tell the audience about Hamlet’s side of the story. Thus, Horatio ends up becoming the playwright of Hamlet, since he is responsible for reporting the tragic event. With his loyalty to Hamlet and eyewitness account of the events that happened while Hamlet is alive, he may be able to retell Fortinbras

At the end of the tragedy, Horatio does not specifically tell what happened, but rather summarizes to Fortinbras. Technically, Horatio may be considered the playwright of the play itself. However, Jan H. Blits, a professor at the University of Delaware, gives insight that “Horatio’s name, in Latin, means “orator” (3). An orator supposedly speaks in public on various topics towards the audience. Machiavelli criticizes that “[instead] of imitating ancient deeds by doing others like them, [the] [humanists] imitate ancient deeds by portraying them on stage” (qtd. in Blits 3). This suggests that Horatio may not tell the exact story of Hamlet, but decides to make his friend’s side of the story a performance. Through his eyewitness account, Horatio can stimulate the events in Hamlet through the stage. Another critic, Anne Barton, insinuates that “Horatio astonishes us by leaving out everything that seems important, reducing all that is distinctive about this play to a plot stereotype” (qtd. in Kiefer 185). This indicates that instead of retelling the details of the story, Horatio calls the series of events accidental as if it was a play. It is true that Horatio does not reveal everything to the audience, since he is a