Horatio Quotes

In the most high and palmy state of Rome,
A little ere the mightiest Julius fell,
The graves stood tenantless, and the sheeted dead
Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets.

– William Shakespeare

Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 1. Horatio says this to the castle guards after the sighting of the Ghost. Emphasizing the seriousness of the event, he recalls that before the mighty Julius Caesar was assassinated the dead rose from their graves and ran squeaking through the streets of Rome. This foreshadows the revenge that Hamlet will embark upon, leading to the death of his uncle, mother and himself.

But, look, the morn, in russet mantle clad,
Walks o’er the dew of yon high eastward hill.

– William Shakespeare

Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 1. Horatio uses figurative language and vivid imagery to signal that it is daybreak and the sun is coming up. He uses the metaphor of “in russet mantle clad” to describe the dawn and its reddish-brown color. The morn is personified as having feet to walk over the dew of a high hill. The quote comes just after the exit of the Ghost, which has made another appearance on the castle battlements.

Give me that man
That is not passion’s slave, and I will wear him
In my heart’s core, ay, in my heart of heart,
As I do thee.

– William Shakespeare

Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 2. Hamlet warmly praises Horatio, just before The Mousetrap play-within-a-play is about to begin. Hamlet trusts his friend so much that he confides to him the secret purpose of the play. It contains a scene mirroring the circumstances of Hamlet’s father’s murder, as claimed by the Ghost. Hamlet asks Horatio to watch Claudius’ reaction to see if he shows any signs of guilt.
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