# Horatio — Hamlet character guide

> Horatio in Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Horatio So, Horatio O, Horatio Within, Horatio Marcellus, Horatio This lapwing, Horatio Peace, Horatio E'en, Horatio Look, Horatio Ay, Exit Horatio, good Horatio

**First appearance:** 0001-act-i

## Snapshot

The one friend Hamlet trusts without reservation, a poor scholar whose steady judgment becomes the moral anchor of a court rotting from within.

## Who they are

Horatio is the Wittenberg student who greets Hamlet after the ghost's first appearance and swears to keep the secret, standing apart from the sycophants and spies who crowd Elsinore. Where Rosencrantz and Guildenstern bend toward the king's favor, Horatio offers nothing but honest counsel, and Hamlet prizes him precisely because he has no revenue to gain by flattery. His calm skepticism — he doubts the ghost until he sees it — makes him the audience's reliable witness as the tragedy tightens.

## Relationships

### [Hamlet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/hamlet)

_friendship_

Horatio is Hamlet's most trusted and loyal friend, the only confidant to whom Hamlet reveals his true thoughts and plans.

### [Bernardo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/bernardo)

_professional_

Bernardo, a guard, enlists Horatio's scholarly authority to verify the ghost's appearance on the castle ramparts.

### [Osric](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/osric)

_social_

Horatio and Osric are fellow courtiers, but Horatio regards Osric with disdain for his foppish and sycophantic behavior.

### [Polonius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/polonius)

_social_

Horatio and Polonius interact as members of the Danish court, with Horatio likely viewing Polonius as a verbose and foolish old man.

### [Hamlet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/hamlet)

_friendship_

Horatio is Hamlet's most trusted and loyal friend, the only confidant to whom Hamlet reveals his true thoughts and plans.

### [Polonius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/polonius)

_social_

Horatio and Polonius interact as members of the Danish court, with Horatio likely viewing Polonius as a verbose and foolish old man.

### [Osric](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/osric)

_social_

Horatio and Osric are fellow courtiers, but Horatio regards Osric with disdain for his foppish and sycophantic behavior.

### [Hamlet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/hamlet)

_friendship_

Horatio is Hamlet's most trusted and loyal friend, the only confidant to whom Hamlet reveals his true thoughts and plans.

### [Bernardo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/bernardo)

_professional_

Bernardo, a guard, enlists Horatio's scholarly authority to verify the ghost's appearance on the castle ramparts.

### [Bernardo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/bernardo)

_professional_

Bernardo, a guard, enlists Horatio's scholarly authority to verify the ghost's appearance on the castle ramparts.

## In the story

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-i-scene-i)

Skeptical at first, but after seeing the ghost, he becomes convinced and interprets it as a bad omen for Denmark.

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-i-scene-ii)

Arrives from Wittenberg and tells Hamlet about the ghostly apparition.

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-i-scene-iv)

Warns Hamlet about the potential dangers of following the Ghost, fearing it may lead to madness or harm.

### [Scene V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-i-scene-v)

Arrives with Marcellus, is sworn to secrecy by Hamlet.

### [Scene II: The Mousetrap](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-ii)

Observes Claudius as instructed and confirms the king's reaction to the poisoning.

### [Scene V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-v)

Advises the Queen to speak with Ophelia and later follows her as instructed by Claudius.

### [Scene VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-vi)

Receives a letter from Hamlet and arranges to meet him.

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-v-scene-i)

Accompanies Hamlet in the graveyard and tries to calm him during the quarrel.

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-v-scene-ii)

Listens to Hamlet's account; warns Hamlet about his misgivings; present during the duel.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/horatio
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters