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Hamlet Horatio Essay

635 Words3 Pages

In Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, the main character and hero, Prince Hamlet, is unquestionably the most fascinating character. He is very complex and vigorous and, through his reflective monologue, we are gifted the majority of the thematic composition in Hamlet. Yet, Hamlet’s character has a large amount of opposition, both mentally and physically, in the drama. He is constantly out-numbered in his quest for answers, and he could not have done it by himself. Horatio, Hamlets best-friend and fellow school-mate at the University of Wittenberg, is the logical and collected one of the duo; he is the left side of the brain as Hamlet is the right, fastening him logically and keen mindedly to the harsh realities of the unforgiving world they lived …show more content…

“Thought, Horatio is apparently a figure with a privileged interpretative position. Editors regularly gloss “just” as “well-balanced,” “honest,” or “well-adjusted,” and what seems “just” about Horatio is his fairness, equity, reasonableness, faithfulness, honorableness – in short., his ability to deliver an impartial and apparently unbiased account of Hamlet, his story, and the ghost that sets the play in motion.” (Warley 1023). Horatio makes it crystal-clear when he thinks Hamlet is making an ill-advised decision, and he even displays the negative ramifications of Hamlet’s decision to him. There are two very momentous examples of this, both happening at times when Hamlet’s decisions will have a colossal impact on his own fortunes. The first example arrives in Act I, scenes IV and V when Hamlet is confronted by the ghost initially, and then the ghost beckons Hamlet to follow it. Horatio instantly protests and asserts himself intrusively, announcing to Hamlet “You shall not go” (1.4.81) and repeating himself three more times showing his insistence. This assertiveness is paired with the civil manner in which Horatio has spoken to Hamlet up to this point. Upon Hamlet’s

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