William Shakespeares Hamlet, is the story of a troubled prince attempting to avenge his fathers murder as his good and honesty starts to diminish. Hamlet loses his loved ones which includes his father physically and mother emotionally due to a royal scandal. Hamlet then has no other choice but to turn to his friends for consultation and advice. Hamlets friendship with Horatio boosts, while Rosencrantz and Guildenstern convey their loyalty, discarding their friendship with Hamlet.
Horatio is introduced to the audience in the beginning of the first scene of the play. Marcellus and Bernardo, the officers guarding the castle, persuade Horatio into talking to the ghost that came to the castle. This gives us an indication of Horatios character. He is the most educated person among them qualified to speak to the ghost in such a frightening situation. This gives admiration towards Horatio.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are introduced to the audience in Act 2, scene 2. They are both friends with Hamlet since school days. Their first encounter with Hamlet is very important. Hamlet greets them as his excellent good friends (II, ii, 242, Shakespeare). Earlier, Hamlet also greeted Horatio in a similar manner. Although the way Hamlet greets Horatio is similar to that of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern he is suspicious and questions their presence. The two men were called to court by Claudius and Gertrude to spy on Hamlet due to his odd behavior. This is a sign of their fading loyalty towards Hamlet.
As the play advances, Horatios loyalty towards Hamlet starts to become clear. Horatio was the one to tell Hamlet not to talk to the ghost of his father they saw previously. When the ghost appears, Horatio is the one who discourages Hamlet from following the ghost. He is concerned about Hamlets well-being and does not want anything bad to occur. Horatio, also being one of Hamlets schoolmates, swears to stay silent about the ghost of Hamlets father.
As Hamlets faith in Horatio grows, his trust in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern diminishes. They both become overwhelmed in the idea of providing service to the royal family. They never stopped to question themselves to why they are doing so. Horatios loyalty is to Hamlet, while Rosencrantz and Guildensterns loyalty is to the royal family. The two of them become puppets to the king. When the king first met with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern he stated:
Welcome, dear Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Moreover that we much did long to see you, the need we have to use you did provoke our hasty sending. Something have you heard of Hamlets transformation, so call it, sith nor th exterior nor the inward man resembles that it was. What it should be, more than his fathers death, that thus hath put him so much from th understanding of himself I cannot dream of. I entreat you both that, being of so young days brought up with him and sith so neighbored to this youth and havior, that you vouchsafe your rest here in our court some little time, so by your companies to draw him on to pleasures, and to gather so much as from occasion you may glean, [whether aught to us unknown afflicts him thus] that, opened, lies within our remedy (II, ii, 1-18, Shakespeare).
They sell themselves out to gain status and respect with the royal family. This leads to their eventual death.
In Act 3, scene 2, the actors begin to perform their performance of The Murder of Gonzaga. Hamlet seeks Horatios assistance. Horatio agrees, and observes the kings reaction towards the play. He acts like Hamlets spy. The play is a reenactment of Claudiuss murder of his brother, Hamlets father. When the murder scene occurs, Claudius rises from his throne in disgust and familiarity of what he has seen. Everyone leaves the hall except Hamlet and Horatio. They both agree that Claudius is guilty due to his reaction to the play. This is a very important scene between Hamlet and Horatio. They both begin to believe what the ghost had said. At that point, Horatio becomes Hamlets assistant in uncovering the evil truths of the royal family.
After the performance of The Murder of Gonzaga, Claudius decides to send Hamlet to England to get rid of his so-called madness from the castle. It should be noted that Claudius wants to send Hamlet to England because he poses a threat to Claudiuss position. The play gave an idea to Claudius that Hamlet knows how his father died. Claudius turns to his spies, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to escort Hamlet to England. Once again, Hamlets former friends are assisting the king in escorting Hamlet to England to ensure that Claudiuss plot is successful to stay as King of Denmark. Hamlet describes Rosencrantz and Guildenstern by saying that he soaks up the Kings countenance, his rewards, his authorities (IV, ii, 15-16, Shakespeare). Hamlet is smart and knows that the two are planning with the king.
As luck would have it, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern both meet their own death due to their plan of stabbing their own friend in the back. Claudius sent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with a note to give to the King of England. Hamlet, suspicious of his sudden deportation to England, locates the note and reads it. Claudius had ordered for the King of England to have Hamlet beheaded. Hamlet rewrites the instructions so that it requests to have Rosencrantz and Guildenstern beheaded. The new instructions are carried out, and as luck would have it, the two mens deceit leads to their own end in the hands of the man they betrayed.
The play reaches its climax when Hamlet and Laertes fight despite the unheard appeals of Horatio to avoid the fight. During the fight, the queen gets poisoned through wine and dies, while Laertes and Hamlet are struck with a poisonous sword. Hamlet manages to stay alive long enough to kill Claudius, and ask Horatio to explain what has happened. Although Horatio is prepared to join Hamlet in death, he doesnt, so Hamlets name will go flawless after his death. Horatio stands by his friend to the end, showing his inner self as a true friend.
In conclusion, although Horatio is only a nobleman, Hamlet considers him his best and only true friend. Horatio has strong morals, integrity and intelligence. Hamlets affection for Horatio increases to an admiration for his character. Horatio represents a lasting judgment that Hamlet could never have gave into. Horatio is the balanced thought that Hamlet could never accept no matter how hard he tried. In contrast, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern represent disloyalty and dishonesty. They make the decision to betray their friend and plan with the king to eliminate Hamlet. Although Horatio was never rewarded for his loyalty, he did manage to live while both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern died due to their disloyalty and vanished morals.
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