The Importance Of Horatio In Shakespeare's Hamlet

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Horatio is a devoted and persistent comrade. After Hamlet’s death, it would be wise for Fortinbras to take Horatio in as his adviser. In contrast to Hamlet’s lack of consistency and unpredictable nature, Horatio is trustworthy, level-headed, and loyal. In the play, Hamlet, there is no character more trustworthy than Horatio. He proved to Hamlet on multiple occasions that his trust was well deserved. From early on, the reader is able to see that Horatio would do almost anything for his friend, Hamlet; including keeping his secrets. At the beginning of the play, Horatio and another character, Marcellous are with Hamlet when he confronts his father’s ghost. When Horatio first asks about what happened between Hamlet and …show more content…
With his dying breath Hamlet asks Horatio to pass on a message to Lord Fortinbras; a message that held the fate of Denmark. At the end of the play, the entire royal family was dead, leaving no one to rule Denmark. Hamlet asked Horatio to tell Fortinbras that he should rule “But I do prophesy the election lights/On Fortinbras. He has my dying voice…” Horatio had different options he could have taken; he could have claimed Hamlet wished him to be king or even have not passed on the message, leaving the countries fate up to chance. Being the trustworthy person that he is, he relayed the message to Fortinbras as his friend …show more content…
He is the opposite of Hamlet who is very rash and does not think things through. Swami Vivekananda once said “It is the Level-headed Man, the Calm Man, of Good Judgement and cool nerves, of Great sympathy and love, who does good work and so does good to himself” (2013), this quote describes Horatio perfectly. In the early scenes of the play, as Hamlet is trying to go with the ghost, Horatio stands there trying to make him consider the dangers. He tried relentlessly; even through Hamlet does not listen, to tell Hamlet that the ghost may not be head dead father. He tells him the ghost could be an evil spirit not to be trusted. “What if it tempt you toward the flood, my lord,/Or to the dreadful summit of the cliff/That beetles o 'er his base into the sea...” Here it can be scene early on that he takes the time to consider his decisions before making them. Another example of Horatio’s levelheadedness is that he warns that he should not fight Laertes because Hamlet said he had a disturbed feeling about the fight. “If your mind dislike anything, obey it. I will forestall their repair hither and say you are not fit.” Again, Horatio is taking the time to consider the options as well as the consequences. He tries to tell Hamlet that if he fights Laertes that he will not win. Unfortunately, Hamlet is careless and chooses not to heed his warning; saying that “If it be now, ’tis not to come. If it be not to come, it will be now. If it be not now, yet it