Horatio: The Essence of Equilibrium
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By Aaron Biterman. 1999. Question: Hamlet chooses Horatio to tell his story to the world. How does Horatio’s presence in the play affect the reader’s understanding of Prince Hamlet and the events that occur in Elsinore? My Response: Horatio is chosen to tell the story of Hamlet to the world, which aids the reader in understanding Hamlet because of the friendship between Hamlet and Horatio, the equilibrium factor that Horatio presents us with, and the practicality upon which Horatio makes his decions based upon. These factors combine to create a lucid and vivid picture of the Prince of Denmark. To begin, let us look at the friendship between Horatio and Prince Hamlet. The reader can truly see Hamlet through the point of view of Horatio in the play. “I am glad to see you well” (I.ii.167) Horatio says to Hamlet, and Hamlet goes on to call Horatio “My good friend” (I.ii.170); therefore we know that the two are in peace and friendship. This point is further more illustrated throughout the play and is extremely important because Horatio plays the only real “friend” to Hamlet, and reading their conversation, the reader can learn about the important ideas Hamlet has. At the beginning of the story, Hamlet goes into a depression because of his father’s death and mother’s marriage (I.ii), and again the reader can see that Horatio is the solid rock of the story, a friend on whom Hamlet can trust and depend. Horatio acts as a balanced, neutral source. Overall, he never really takes sides, and this provides the reader with an understanding of the events that take shape in Elsinore. Second, let us examine the equilibrium that Horatio provides. Horatio has no inner turmoil and does not get directly involved with any of the tragic events that occur. He is essentially an innocent bystander, which makes him a good person to tell the tale. Being middle class (as evidenced by his great use of language) and quite educated, Horatio can relate to both the lower class (Francisco and Bernardo) and the upper class (Hamlet). He is the first person Hamlet reveals his guilt to and is the first person to see the ghost. He says to Hamlet, “if your heart is warning you not to, then don’t do it.” Horatio always follows his passionate heart, whereas Hamlet often follows his illogical senses. Moreover, Horatio acts as a messenger between the ghost and Hamlet. He is unbiased and does not take sides. The greatest trait and most tragic flaw of Hamlet is his trust of other people and his idealism. “What a piece of work is man” (II.ii) he emphasizes in his speech to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The purpose of a tragic story is to see the potential of humankind, and without the equilibrium provided by Horatio, Hamlet would have no one to relay his thoughts to, and therefore all understanding we have would be lost. Finally, let us look at the practicality maintained by Horatio. Horatio is the one who sparked the revenge in the mind of Hamlet because if he had not told Hamlet about the ghost, Hamlet never would have known. This is a practical and realistic move by Horatio, despite the fact that he did not do it purposely. Furthermore, recall from early in the play that Horatio was hesitant to believe in ghosts, as it undermined much of what society at the time. Therefore, Horatio is not prone to flights of fancy and will tell things exactly as he sees them. This brings a certain realistic tone to the story, and helps the reader to understand some of the more complex areas of the story. Perhaps the reader can see the similarities between Hamlet and Horatio through Hamlet’s compliment to Horatio: “Blest art those/Whose blood and judgement are so well commeddled/That they are not a pipe for Fortune's finger/To sound what stop she please" (III.ii.70-73). Thus, Hamlet prefers those who create destiny instead of letting destiny shape them, a very existentialist (realistic) perspective. More importantly, however, the need for Horatio was also present in order to tell the story of Hamlet and to assert the guiltiness of the king. If not for Horatio, Claudius would have gotten away with killing everyone. No one would have known the guiltiness of the King if not for Horatio. In conclusion, the reason Horatio is chosen to tell the story of Hamlet to the world is that he offers friendship, equilibrium, and practicality that is needed in a story with an imbalanced main character (Hamlet has more reason than passion). These factors combine to create a lucid and vivid picture of the Prince of Denmark. During that play, Hamlet undergoes a transformation. He was once a great man, a scholar, philosopher, a lover. Then he goes into the phase of depression. Thankfully, by the end of the play, once again he is the scholar and lover that he once was. But, had it not been for his balanced friend Horatio, he never would have accomplished his goals or his return to sanity. |
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