Horatio

Before Horatio enters, Barnardo relieves Francisco from his shift.
 * Horatio**
 * Pre-Entrance**

(1.1.14) Right after Horatio enters with Marcellus, Barnardo calls out “Stand ho! Who is there?” This reaction again shows caution regarding identity.
 * Entrance**

Marcellus and Horatio are supposed to stand guard with Barnardo. Horatio is invited to watch the night because Marcellus is trying to let him witness the ghost himself so that he would believe in its existence.
 * Context**

(1.1.16) When questioned about his identity, Horatio replies “Friends to this ground.”
 * First Words**

Horatio refers to the ghost as “this thing, ” and he refuses to belief in the ghost, saying that it is nothing but a “fantasy.”
 * Dialogue**

Contrasts the personality of Hamlet, because he is more even tempered. Hamlet sees qualities in Horatio that he wishes he possessed.
 * Purpose/Effect**


 * Motifs**

When Horatio first appears on stage, he is a non-believer and refers to the ghost as “this thing.” Marcellus has brought him along to the night watch in order to let him witness the ghost with his own eyes. Horatio’s reaction towards the ghost was fearful. When he first sees the ghost, he exclaims “It harrows me with fear and wonder.” Yet when Marcellus asks Horatio to speak to the ghost, he takes on a quite demanding manner. The fact that he is the one invited to witness the ghost, and the one asked to speak to it demonstrate that he is a respectable and knowledgeable character, and others trust his judgment.
 * Conclusion**

Horatio plays an important role as a close friend to Hamlet, trustworthy, honest, and loyal throughout the play. The first line he speaks in this play follows, "Friends to this ground" (line 10). His identity in this play is that of a true friend. However for the purpose of this first scene, when he is first introduced along with characters Barnardo and Marcellus, Horatio is portrayed to be the more sophisticated character. The two other guards weigh his opinion of the ghost quite heavily and thus want to prove or confirm if the ghost is real through Horatio witnessing it. Horatio also helps to provide a few answers to Barnardo and Marcellus, and therefore also to the audience, regarding why there is an increasing demand for national defense and why the ghost choses to show his presence dressed in battle gear at this time. Finally Horatio also foreshadows and unfortunate future for Denmark in his line, "In what particular thought to work i know not, But in the gross and scope of mine opinion This bodes some strange eruption to our state" (lines 66-68).