Spencer - Reflections on Horatio

One aspect of Hamlet (something that extends to many of Shakespeare's other tragedies) is the significance of seemingly unimportant background characters in the larger context of the story. Horatio in Hamlet speaks with almost every character in the play, and we view the events of the opening scene from his perspective. Horatio accompanies Hamlet throughout the play, and has almost as many lines as the titular character. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have a similar lack of agency but still carry tremendous influence over the plot. Most significant is the fact that Horatio is the only major character left alive at the end of the play to tell the story to Fortinbras. As discussed in class, Horatio is not royalty, instead a friend of Hamlet's who studied with him at Wittenburg. Horatio represents the rising intellectual bourgeoisie that was emerging in 16th century England at the time. Horatio is the only one to survive the events of the play, alive to tell Hamlet's story while all the nobles and royalty have been killed through their various schemes and plots. Could this be Shakespeare's sly commentary on the foolishness of royal politics and the ultimate triumph of the educated, enlightened Englishman over the monarchy?