Horatio Influence On Hamlet
Hannah Gropper
December 10, 2007
World Lit 10-5/Spencer
The Influence of Horatio
In Hamlet, the character of Horatio shapes Hamlet, and essentially the story line, more than any other character. Many would perceive Horatio as simply a foil for Hamlet, but he is much more. He is Hamlet’s sole confidante and friend in the play.
Horatio is a very intelligent and learned man and he enjoys thinking and logic. What Horatio tells Hamlet throughout the play is nearly always exactly what Hamlet needs to hear. He gives Hamlet the stable and rational mind to lean on and to interpret the world through. While Hamlet is quick and very frequently haphazard in making a decision, Horatio is his right hand man that he turns to. When he is confused …show more content…
he goes to him for support and balance because as Hamlet says, “his judgment is so well” (III.i.60).
In many of these ways Horatio is his foil because he exposes all of the extreme flaws of character in Hamlet but he is more than just a foil because of the way he develops the play and how the reader comprehends what is going on. Horatio has all the qualities of a man which Hamlet wants and admires.
As one in suff’ring all that suffers nothing –
A man that Fortune’s buffets and rewards
Hast ta’en with equal thanks; and blest are those
Whose blood and judgment are so well comeddled
That they are not a pipe for Fortune’s finger
To sound what stop she please.
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 hear,
As I do thee. (III.ii.57-65)
Horatio is Hamlet’s rational and stable side of himself. Hamlet confides in Horatio and Horatio takes in all the information Hamlet gives him with an unwavering sense of understanding. He does not allow himself to be carried away by emotions, as Hamlet says, “Horatio, thou are e’en as just a man / As e’er my conversation coped withal” (III.ii.45-6).
Horatio gives many of Hamlet’s actions validity. Without his presence, the audience would be much more inclined to question what Hamlet is doing and the truth to what he has seen. If Horatio had not been present when Hamlet had seen the ghost, it is quite likely that Hamlet in fact would have been considered without a doubt insane by the audience. Having someone there who is so grounded and stable, such as Horatio, proves Hamlet is seeing a real ghost. Horatio even speaks to the ghost giving it true concrete proof that he was there. Horatio is not scared of him like his companions when he
says
Speak to me.
If thou art privy to thy country’s fate,
Which happily foreknowing may avoid,
O, speak!
Or if thou hast uphoarded in thy life
Extorted treasure in the womb of earth
For which, they say, you spirits oft walk in death,
Speak of it. Stay, and speak. (I.i.132-9)
Seeing is believing and giving the audience another chance to see the ghost while Hamlet is not present solidifies the view that he is in fact real.
Horatio serves us as a balancing act for Hamlet’s variability and volatility. He gives us reason to believe in Hamlet and what he is doing and shows us the truth behind his madness.
December 10, 2007
World Lit 10-5/Spencer
The Influence of Horatio
In Hamlet, the character of Horatio shapes Hamlet, and essentially the story line, more than any other character. Many would perceive Horatio as simply a foil for Hamlet, but he is much more. He is Hamlet’s sole confidante and friend in the play.
Horatio is a very intelligent and learned man and he enjoys thinking and logic. What Horatio tells Hamlet throughout the play is nearly always exactly what Hamlet needs to hear. He gives Hamlet the stable and rational mind to lean on and to interpret the world through. While Hamlet is quick and very frequently haphazard in making a decision, Horatio is his right hand man that he turns to. When he is confused …show more content…
he goes to him for support and balance because as Hamlet says, “his judgment is so well” (III.i.60).
In many of these ways Horatio is his foil because he exposes all of the extreme flaws of character in Hamlet but he is more than just a foil because of the way he develops the play and how the reader comprehends what is going on. Horatio has all the qualities of a man which Hamlet wants and admires.
As one in suff’ring all that suffers nothing –
A man that Fortune’s buffets and rewards
Hast ta’en with equal thanks; and blest are those
Whose blood and judgment are so well comeddled
That they are not a pipe for Fortune’s finger
To sound what stop she please.
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 hear,
As I do thee. (III.ii.57-65)
Horatio is Hamlet’s rational and stable side of himself. Hamlet confides in Horatio and Horatio takes in all the information Hamlet gives him with an unwavering sense of understanding. He does not allow himself to be carried away by emotions, as Hamlet says, “Horatio, thou are e’en as just a man / As e’er my conversation coped withal” (III.ii.45-6).
Horatio gives many of Hamlet’s actions validity. Without his presence, the audience would be much more inclined to question what Hamlet is doing and the truth to what he has seen. If Horatio had not been present when Hamlet had seen the ghost, it is quite likely that Hamlet in fact would have been considered without a doubt insane by the audience. Having someone there who is so grounded and stable, such as Horatio, proves Hamlet is seeing a real ghost. Horatio even speaks to the ghost giving it true concrete proof that he was there. Horatio is not scared of him like his companions when he
says
Speak to me.
If thou art privy to thy country’s fate,
Which happily foreknowing may avoid,
O, speak!
Or if thou hast uphoarded in thy life
Extorted treasure in the womb of earth
For which, they say, you spirits oft walk in death,
Speak of it. Stay, and speak. (I.i.132-9)
Seeing is believing and giving the audience another chance to see the ghost while Hamlet is not present solidifies the view that he is in fact real.
Horatio serves us as a balancing act for Hamlet’s variability and volatility. He gives us reason to believe in Hamlet and what he is doing and shows us the truth behind his madness.