Student Question
Who is the most admirable character in Hamlet and why?
Quick answer:
Horatio is often considered the most admirable character due to his intelligence, honesty, and loyalty. He serves as the voice of reason, bravely confronts the ghost, and remains loyal to Hamlet without being manipulated by Claudius. Horatio's steadfast loyalty shines in the final scene as he attempts to die with Hamlet but ultimately survives to tell Hamlet's story. While personal opinions may vary, Horatio's admirable traits are consistently highlighted.
I would argue that Horatio is the most admirable character in this play because of his intelligence, his honesty, and his loyalty.
In the very first scene, he serves as the voice of reason in a very strange situation. Upon seeing the ghost of his friend, Hamlet's, dead father, Horatio correctly concludes that things are not as straightforward as they seem to be in Denmark, and he determines immediately to bring his friend into the loop. Further, he is brave. He is the only person -- though he is not a sentinel as the others are -- who is courageous enough to speak to the ghost and attempt to engage it. The others are all too frightened.
Later, Hamlet correctly ascertains that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are in Denmark to spy on him and feed information back to Claudius ; they believe they are only doing this because of Claudius's...
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concern for Hamlet's mental health, but they are being used by him nonetheless. Horatio, although he is much closer to Hamlet than they, is never even approached by Claudius for this purpose. This leads me to believe that Claudius understands that Horatio is too smart to be fooled into thinking that Claudius only wants him to spy out of concern. Horatio's loyalty to Hamlet and intelligence likely prevent the king from attempting to use him as he does Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
In the final scene, we once again see Horatio's staunch loyalty to Hamlet, as he tries to drink from the same poisoned cup that killed Gertrude in order to die alongside his friend. Hamlet insists that he stay alive to tell the story of what happened to him. Even after Hamlet's death, Horatio remains steadfast in his loyalty to and love of his friend, despite his friend's glaring flaws. He truly loved Hamlet and valued his well-being, and the same cannot be said for many other characters in this tragedy.
Who is the most admirable character in Hamlet and why?
The difficulty with this question is that it is based on personal opinion rather than any sort of objective criteria. Few of the characters are admirable without qualification. Hamlet is duplicitous, cruel to Ophelia, and somewhat self-centered. Ophelia has the wonderful flower speech, but otherwise seems to lack intelligence and independence. Fortinbras is intended as a purely admirable character but has a fairly limited role in the drama.
My own personal favorite, in part influenced by Patrick Stewart's wonderful 1980 film performance, is Claudius. Even though he is intended as a villain, he is a complex and intelligent character, with a great deal of moral awareness (and awareness of his own failings). He is charming and eloquent, and acts in a rational fashion. It's true that he killed his own brother and tried to kill his nephew, and is rather unscrupulous, but he also strikes me as the only character in the play with whom one might actually enjoy socializing. Assuming he didn't poison you, he'd be an utterly charming dinner companion.