Horatio is Hamlet's friend from university in William Shakespeare's play. Apparently a commoner, or in any event not a close relation to the royal family, Horatio is not directly involved in the intrigue at the Danish court. He thus makes a good foil or sounding board for Hamlet. When the rational Horatio finds it hard to comprehend what is going on, with Hamlet being approached by the ghost of his fallen father, Hamlet says to him: "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio/Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." He is also used to verify the ghost's existance and this has been used in arguments against the theory that the ghost is a figment of Hamlet's imagination. The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke, more commonly known as Hamlet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare and is one of his best-known and most-quoted plays. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Not only is Horatio loyal and supportive, he is a rational creature, "Horatio says 'tis but our fantasy,/ And will not let belief take hold of him". Without the proper proof Horatio is skeptical about something as bizarre as a ghost of the dead king appearing. At the end of the play Horatio proposes to finish off the poisoned drink which was intended for Hamlet, but the dying prince wrestles the cup away from him and bids Horatio to live, help put things right in Denmark, and "in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain / To tell my story." This last request from Hamlet is interesting, considering the similarities between the name Horatio and the Latin orator meaning "speaker" The fact that Hamlet opens up to Horatio explains why there are no soliloquies or asides in any of the scenes Horatio appears in. Soliloquies/ asides reveal their darkest secrets/ thoughts.