Horatio

Hamlet mit Horatio auf dem Friedhof (Shakespeare, Hamlet,5. Akt, 1. Szene), Unknown author (1860), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

(left) Hamlet and Horatio in the Graveyard, Eugène Delacroix (1827), donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60941093

(right) Hamlet und Horatio auf dem Friedhof, Eugène Delacroix (1839), The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=150167

-- Ghosts/Supernatural --

In Early Modern England, ghosts, fairies, and supernatural occurrences were not to be trifled with. Take the final humiliation and horning of Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor at Hern's oak as an example: despite his skepticism towards the myth, Falstaff is easily tricked into believing in the ridiculous prank arranged for him by the wives. Falstaff's skeptical sentiment surrounding otherworldly presence is similar to Horatio's "Tush t'will not appear" in A1S1, and was certainly present amongst many English citizens during this period (education for the middle-class was expanding), but when "proof" regarding their existence was confronted, it would be difficult to deny.

(left) Falstaff at Herne's Oak, Michele Beneditti, after Henry William Bunbury (1793), The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 2018, The Met.

Some textual analysis:

A1S1: scholastic metaphor VS earnest assessment... these are the competing registers that Horatio navigates throughout this scene. Why might he resort to the more "schooled" side of himself when faced with something so otherworldly?

0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 /

"A mote it is to trouble the minds eye."

This line is referring to the ghost of Hamlet Sr., interpreting his presence as a sign for future ill. We know that the appearance of the ghost is troubling in isolation, but the fact that it is the ghost of the recently deceased ruler of the country is particularly worrisome for the characters in this play. Royalty/political figures in Shakespeare's plays do not have a difference between personal faults and ill-tidings for the state writ large. If something's going wrong in the royal family, everyone's family should brace for impact.

The fall of Rome is referenced throughout this monologue, where Horatio seems to want something familiar to use as a comparison to aid him in coping with the present appearance of the ghost. In Julius Caesar, the following omens occur before Caesar's assassination, feel free to take or leave them. I do think they can offer some clarity regarding the meaning of certain references Horatio makes:

But never till tonight, never till now,

Did I go through a tempest dropping fire. <-- could read alongside the "stars with trains of fire and dews of blood"

---

And graves have yawned and yielded up their dead. <-- "and the sheeted dead/Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets"

Fierce fiery warriors fought upon the clouds

In ranks and squadrons and right form of war,

Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol. <-- more regarding "dews of blood", potentially

---

When these prodigies

Do so conjointly meet, let not men say As harbingers preceding still the fates

“These are their reasons, they are natural,” And prologue to the omen coming on,

For I believe they are portentous things Have heaven and Earth together demonstrated

Unto the climate that they point upon. Unto our climatures and countrymen

Later in the scene, Horatio describes the ghost's sudden departure. Here are some clarifcations regarding that moment...

"...I have heard

The cock, that is the trumpet to the morn,

Doth with his lofty and shrill-sounding throat

Awake the god of day, and at his warning, <-- Dagr, god of light/day in Norse mythology, said to ride a horse named Skinfaxi across the sky.

Whether in sea or fire, in earth or air,

Th' extravagent and erring spirit hies <-- Dagr begins his journey across the sky, the mane of Skinfaxi illuminating the Earth.

To his confine, and of the truth herein <-- the heavens, wherever gods reside/call "home"

This present object made probation. <-- the ghost listens to rooster, using him as a signal just like Dagr does, that night is ending. He took the rooster's cry as his cue to leave and has done so.

-- Philosophy --

Horatio’s Philosophy in Hamlet

Horatio serves as a friend, confidant, and stabilizing force for Hamlet throughout the play. But his internal motivation at times seems eroded by the function he serves to the titular lead. The paper to the left explores some of these tensions, and is generally a pretty accessible read. I would recommend skipping to the section on page 155, "The Scholar" while thinking through A1S1. The section gets a little into deep philosophy jargon towards the end, just slip past it. Page 157, "The Friend" section is a little longer, but also quite interesting. If you're inclined to read further, feel free!

-- University --

College life, for young wealthy men in Shakespeare's time, meant a focus on the "trivium" (grammar, rhetoric, and logic) and the "quadrivium" (astronomy, geometry, arithmetic, and music). Of course, Hamlet doesn't take place in 16th-early 17th century England, but since Shakespeare most likely didn't know the university curriculum of Denmark princes (and his schoolfellows), I find knowing about the university culture that Shakespeare and some of his audience members would find familiar to be most relevant here.

To the right is a chapter from a larger book exploring the relationship between Shakespeare and college writ large, the chapter focuses in on Hamlet. If it is of interest I would recommend skimming it. Check out page 72 for an overview of the major arguments in the piece!

oso-9780192886095-chapter-4.pdf

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