HORATIO’S FUNCTION IN THE PLAY

1. Along with H’s soliloquies, H’s conversations with Horatio ground the play in reality and provide the audience with trustworthy insights into H’s intentions,
feelings, reactions, etc.
2. He appears before Hamlet and thereby establishes himself as a reliable and sensible commentator on events.
3. He sees the ghost of the dead king, thereby giving it legitimacy. He lends credibility to the events and characters in the play, even when they seem fantastical.
4. He is ‘filled with fear and wonder’ but identifies the ghost, saying it wears the very armour the late king wore when he ‘smote the dreaded Polacks on the ice’.
5. He comments on political matters and says he fears the ghost ‘bodes some strange eruption to our state’ (1.1).
6. He informs the audience of the conflict between Denmark and Norway and provides an accurate assessment of Fortinbras, introducing him as a young man ‘of
unimproved mettle hot and full’ (1.1).
7. Horatio is H’s only true friend and confidante. He is the one who tells H about the appearance of the ghost. (1.2).
8. Hamlet tells Horatio, and by extension the audience, of his plan to use the play (The Mousetrap) to prove Claudius’s guilt.
9. Hamlet’s conversation with Horatio after the play is clever and coherent, reinforcing the idea that he is rational. If Horatio were not there, H's sanity would be in
doubt.
10. Hamlet admires Horatio’s balance: ‘blest are this whose blood and judgement are so well commingled’; ‘Give me the man that is not passion’s slave, and I will
wear him in my heart’s core’ (3.2).
11. Horatio is the epitome of loyalty in a corrupt, self-serving court. His loyalty to Hamlet serves as a contrast to H’s false and deceiving ‘friends’, R & G.
Horatio is a true friend because, although he is on Hamlet’s side, he never shows the sycophantic agreement of other courtiers.
12. His support of Hamlet never wavers. He may not play an active role in Hamlet’s schemes, but he is always there to offer advice and a sympathetic ear. He acts
as a sounding board for Hamlet’s philosophical comments on life and death.
13. Horatio’s good sense makes him suspicious of the duel between Hamlet and Laertes and he tries to persuade his friend not to participate. His reaction heightens
the dramatic tension as the audience wonders if Hamlet will heed his words.
14. Horatio’s reaction to Hamlet’s death highlights the tragedy of the young prince’s untimely death. He would rather die than live without his great friend: ‘I am
more antique Roman than a Dane / Here’s yet some liquor left’.
15. Horatio remains to clear Hamlet’s name at the end of the story: ‘And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain, to tell my story’ (5.2).
16. Despite the chaos, Horatio remains unscathed, suggesting that morality can be a source of resilience rather than tragedy.
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  Where he finds deceit and fickleness in all others, H finds an honest friend in Horatio. He seems to the only person on whom H can rely.
HORATIO OTHER CHARACTERS
o Horatio is considerate of H’s feelings and travels to pay o C & G are the first to break H’s trust by showing no courtesy for the king’s
his respects at King Hamlet’s funeral. death.
o C marries G very quickly after the King’s death and from the beginning of the
play, it is clear that H resents them both for this.
o Horatio keeps his conversations with H confidential. o O confides in her father and brother.
o H sees how her loyalty lies with her family rather than with him.
o Horatio is loyal only to H. o R & G blindly follow C’s wishes.
o H realizes that their allegiance is with C, and does not trust them with any
important information.
 While almost all of H’s closest friends and family members fail him, Horatio never speaks or acts in a way that causes H to distrust him.
 Horatio proves himself to be an honest friend through kind acts of his own volition and by fulfilling H’s requests.
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1. A TRUSTED/CONSTANT/RELIABLE 2. A TRUSTWORTHY/DISPASSIONATE 3. AN INFORMANT/COMMENTATOR ON KEY
WITNESS OF EVENTS OUTSIDE OBSERVER OF EVENTS EVENTS IN THE PLAY
 Although a sceptic, he actually sees the Ghost  Since Horatio is close to events, but not  He provides important background information
and knows about its accusations of murder immediately involved, he is our messenger in 1.1 about the Danish political situation.
(1.1). of truth.  He reads the letter about H’s adventures at sea
 He is aware of the origin of H’s ‘antic  It is through Horatio that the actions taken (4.6).
disposition’ (1.5). by Hamlet and other characters gain  Hamlet tells him why it is ‘perfect conscience’
 He witnesses Ophelia’s madness and offers the credibility. to kill Claudius (5.2).
Queen clear advice about how to deal with the  He observes Claudius’s reaction during  He is trusted with clearing Hamlet’s name and
situation (4.5). ‘The Mousetrap’ performance and can reporting his ‘cause a’right’ (5.2).
 He witnesses Hamlet’s meditations on death therefore confirm that the Ghost’s account
and is at Ophelia’s graveside (5.1). of his murder is reliable (3.2).
 He is present when Hamlet exposes R & G’s
duplicity and later, hears about their fate (5.2).
 He witnesses the whole of the duel and can
confirm the treachery of Laertes and Claudius
(5.2).

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