The Perfect Friend; A Character Review of Horatio

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“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. This type of friendship is hard to come by. In the world renowned play written by Shakespeare entitled, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark this exact friendship is demonstrated throughout the play. The play is about a prince that returns to the castle to attend his father’s funeral only to discover his mother has remarried to the king’s brother in a very short time. The ghost of Hamlet’s father led to Hamlet displaying acts of insanity which is kept in check by his loyal friend Horatio. Most people have friends but there are very few friends that live up to the example in the Bible or even in Hamlet. Friends have plenty of attributes that qualify them as friends. These attributes are normally things a person either strives to be or mimic those of the person. Horatio represents the light or conscience side of Hamlet in the play. The Loyalty, trustworthiness and level minded thinking of Horatio provides the sane interpretation of Hamlet’s insanity.
Loyalty is the number one characteristic that is searched for in a friendship. Horatio sets the example of this trait. Horatio is like the angle sitting on your left shoulder. The angel’s purpose is to provide guidance and clarity to a situation. This is Shakespeare way of allowing the viewer to take a side in the play and make Hamlet a hero. At the beginning Marcellus and Barnardo call upon him to assess the validity of their Ghost-sightings. Marcellu...

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... J. K. "Hamlet's Introspection." Essays In Criticism 61.1 (2011): 31-53. Humanities Source. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Lofland, Norman L. "Some Necessary Questions Of The Play (Book Review)." English Language Notes 34.1 (1996): 96. Humanities Source. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
Scodel, Joshua. "Finding Freedom In "Hamlet.." Modern Language Quarterly 72.2 (2011): 163-200. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
Spinrad, Phoebe S. "The Fall Of The Sparrow And The Map Of Hamlet's Mind." Modern Philology 102.4 (2005): 453-477. Literary Reference Center. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet” Literature: A World of Writing. Ed David L. Pike and Ana M. Acosta. New York: Pearson Longman, 2011. 280-340. Print

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