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Character Analysis: HORATIO
Character Profile – At a Glance
Role: Hamlet’s closest friend and confidant; a scholar from Wittenberg.
Key Traits: Loyal, rational, skeptical (initially), stoic, balanced, and trustworthy.
The Core Conflict: Serves as a stabilizing force for Hamlet amidst the corruption and chaos of Elsinore, balancing loyalty to his friend with his own rational judgment.
Key Function: Acts as a moral compass, a validator of reality (witnessing the Ghost and Claudius's guilt), and the ultimate storyteller.
Key Actions: Verifies the existence of the Ghost, assists Hamlet during The Mousetrap, attempts to drink the poison at the end, and survives to tell Hamlet's story.
Famous Quote: "Good night, sweet prince: And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!" (Act 5, Scene 2).
The Outcome: Survives the catastrophe, tasked by Hamlet with explaining the truth to the world.
The Stoic Scholar: Rationality and Balance
Horatio is unique among the central characters in Hamlet because he is not driven by passion, ambition, or revenge. He is a scholar from Wittenberg, characterised by his rationality, skepticism, and emotional balance.
He is first introduced as a skeptic regarding the existence of the Ghost (Act 1, Scene 1). He demands empirical evidence, stating he will not believe it "Without the sensible and true avouch / Of mine own eyes." Once he witnesses the apparition, he accepts the reality of the situation and approaches it with scholarly caution.
Horatio embodies the philosophical ideal of Stoicism – a person who can endure hardship without excessive display of emotion. Hamlet deeply admires this quality in him, contrasting Horatio's balance with his own passionate nature.
Original:
...for thou hast been
As one, in suffering all, that suffers nothing,
A man that fortune’s buffets and rewards
Hast ta’en with equal thanks...
Give me that man
That is not passion’s slave, and I will wear him
In my heart’s core, ay, in my heart of heart,
As I do thee. (Hamlet to Horatio – Act 3, Scene 2)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
I have seen you as
A person of integrity and strength,
Who takes the ebbs and flows of life events
With equal gratitude…
Show me the man
That isn’t passion’s slave and I will take him
Into the heart and soul of who I am,
And I do this to you.
This balanced perspective allows Horatio to serve as a moral compass and a stabilising force throughout the play.
The Loyal Confidant
Horatio's primary role is that of the loyal friend and confidant to Prince Hamlet. In the corrupt and deceptive environment of Elsinore, Horatio is the only person Hamlet trusts completely.
Hamlet confides in Horatio immediately after the Ghost's revelation (Act 1, Scene 5), revealing his plan to adopt an "antic disposition." Throughout the play, Horatio is privy to Hamlet's true state of mind and his strategies.
Horatio's loyalty is steadfast. Unlike Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who betray their friendship for the King's favour, Horatio remains true to Hamlet. He assists him in crucial moments, most notably during the play-within-a-play (Act 3, Scene 2), where Hamlet asks him to observe Claudius's reaction impartially. Horatio's validation of Claudius's guilt confirms the reality of the situation for Hamlet.
The Voice of Reason: A Foil to Hamlet
Horatio serves as a crucial foil to Hamlet, representing the path of reason and moderation in contrast to Hamlet's passionate intensity and paralysing intellectualism.
While Hamlet is prone to emotional outbursts and existential agonising, Horatio remains calm and measured. He constantly attempts to ground Hamlet's philosophical speculations in practical reality.
In the Graveyard Scene (Act 5, Scene 1), when Hamlet morbidly contemplates the fate of Alexander the Great's dust, Horatio gently rebukes him, suggesting "Twere to consider too curiously, to consider so."
Furthermore, before the final duel (Act 5, Scene 2), Horatio expresses concern about the danger and offers to delay the match if Hamlet feels uneasy. He represents the voice of caution that Hamlet ultimately ignores in his acceptance of fate.
“Horatio is the witness and measure of the tragic. He is the one who must live, to tell the story to the yet unknowing world... He is the one who remains to establish the context of the action, the one who authenticates the reality of the events.”
The Survivor: Witness and Storyteller
Horatio's ultimate function is to survive the catastrophe and ensure that the truth of the tragedy is known. In the final scene (Act 5, Scene 2), Horatio's loyalty reaches its peak. As Hamlet lies dying, Horatio, in a rare display of passion that echoes ancient Roman ideals, attempts to drink the remaining poison to die with his friend.
Original:
I am more an antique Roman than a Dane:
Here’s yet some liquor left. (Horatio – Act 5, Scene 2)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
I’m more a fatal Roman than a Dane;
There’s still some poison left.
Hamlet prevents him, charging Horatio with the vital task of surviving to tell the true story and protect Hamlet's reputation.
Original:
If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart,
Absent thee from felicity a while,
And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain,
To tell my story. (Hamlet to Horatio – Act 5, Scene 2)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
If you do really love me from the heart,
You’ll put your death on hold a little while,
And in this evil world you’ll take a breath
And tell my story.
Horatio is the sole survivor of the central conflict. His final function is to bridge the gap between the tragedy and the new order established by Fortinbras, ensuring that the legacy of the events is preserved accurately.
Key Quotes by Horatio
Quote 1:
Original:
Before my God, I might not this believe
Without the sensible and true avouch
Of mine own eyes. (Horatio – Act 1, Scene 1)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
I swear to God, I never would believe this
Without the concrete proof and confirmation
Of my own eyes.
Quote 2:
Original:
O day and night, but this is wondrous strange! (Horatio – Act 1, Scene 5)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
Oh, goodness me – this is astonishing!
Quote 3:
Original:
Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince:
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest! (Horatio – Act 5, Scene 2)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
My noble heart has cracked. Goodnight, sweet prince,
May choirs of angels sing you off to sleep.
Key Takeaways
Horatio is the embodiment of loyalty, rationality, and philosophical balance (Stoicism) in the play.
He serves as Hamlet's only true confidant, providing a stabilising force amidst the chaos and deception of Elsinore.
As an objective witness, Horatio validates the reality of key events, including the Ghost's appearance and Claudius's guilt.
His survival is crucial for the restoration of order, as he is tasked with telling Hamlet's story and preserving the truth.
Study Questions and Analysis
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Horatio serves several crucial functions in Hamlet. Primarily, he is Hamlet's loyal confidant, the only character Hamlet trusts completely. He acts as a stabilising force and a moral compass for the Prince.
Dramatically, he functions as an objective witness. His skepticism and rationality validate the reality of the Ghost (Act 1, Scene 1) and Claudius's guilt (Act 3, Scene 2). Finally, he is the storyteller, tasked with surviving the tragedy to explain the events to the world (Act 5, Scene 2).
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Horatio serves as a foil to Hamlet by highlighting the contrast between emotional balance and passionate melancholy. While Hamlet is prone to existential agonising and intense emotional outbursts, Horatio is rational, skeptical, and stoic.
Hamlet explicitly admires Horatio for being a man "That is not passion’s slave" (Act 3, Scene 2), recognising that Horatio possesses the emotional stability and measured approach that Hamlet himself lacks. Horatio represents the ideal balance between thought and emotion that Hamlet struggles to achieve.
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Horatio's initial skepticism about the Ghost (Act 1, Scene 1) is crucial for establishing the reality of the apparition. As a rational scholar, Horatio is not inclined to believe in the supernatural. He demands empirical evidence ("Without the sensible and true avouch / Of mine own eyes").
When even the skeptical Horatio witnesses the Ghost and confirms its resemblance to the late King, it validates the existence of the Ghost for both the audience and, later, for Hamlet. This makes the Ghost a credible catalyst for the plot, rather than a mere hallucination.
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Horatio embodies the principles of Stoicism, a philosophy emphasising emotional restraint, rationality, and the acceptance of fate. This is evident in his calm demeanour throughout the crisis and his skepticism towards the supernatural (initially).
His philosophy is best demonstrated in his willingness to commit suicide in the final scene (Act 5, Scene 2), declaring himself "more an antique Roman than a Dane." This refers to the Roman Stoic tradition of honourable suicide as a means of escaping a dishonourable world. However, he ultimately accepts the burden of living to fulfil his duty to Hamlet.
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Hamlet trusts Horatio because he is the only character in Elsinore who is not corrupted by ambition or motivated by self-interest. Unlike Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who spy for the King, or the sycophantic courtiers, Horatio offers genuine friendship and loyalty.
Furthermore, Hamlet values Horatio's rational and balanced nature. He relies on Horatio's judgment, particularly during The Mousetrap (Act 3, Scene 2), trusting him to observe Claudius impartially. Horatio's steadfastness and integrity make him a beacon of truth in a deceptive world.
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Horatio's survival is essential for the resolution of the tragedy. As the sole remaining confidant of Hamlet and an objective witness to the events, he is the only one who knows the full truth about the corruption of Claudius and the motivations of Hamlet.
Hamlet explicitly charges Horatio to "Absent thee from felicity a while... To tell my story" (Act 5, Scene 2). His survival ensures that Hamlet's reputation is protected and that the truth is revealed to the new order established by Fortinbras. Without Horatio, the tragedy would remain unexplained.
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Horatio provides a stark contrast to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, highlighting the difference between true friendship and political opportunism. All three are fellow students of Hamlet from Wittenberg.
However, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern readily agree to spy on Hamlet at the request of the King and Queen, betraying their friendship for royal favour (Act 2, Scene 2). They are sycophantic and easily manipulated. Horatio, conversely, remains steadfastly loyal to Hamlet, offering counsel and support without seeking personal gain. He represents the ideal of authentic friendship that the other two fail to uphold.