<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Information </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Associate (s) </Th> <Td> Hamlet </Td> </Tr> <P> Horatio is a character in William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet . Horatio's origins are unknown, although he was present on the battlefield when Hamlet's father defeated' the ambitious Norway', Fortinbras (the king), and attended Wittenberg University with Prince Hamlet . Horatio is evidently not directly involved in the intrigue at the Danish court; thus, he makes a good foil or sounding board for Prince Hamlet . He is often not identified as any specific court position, but simply as "friend to Hamlet ." </P> <P> Horatio makes his first appearance in act one, scene one, when he, Bernardo, Marcellus and Francisco encounter the ghost of the deceased King Hamlet . He, having attended a university, is called upon as a scholar and is told to communicate with the ghost by Marcellus, and unsuccessfully attempts to do so . It is he who then explains the conditions surrounding King Hamlet's death . Later, in act two, Horatio is revealed to be Hamlet's most trusted friend, to whom Hamlet reveals all his plans . Horatio swears himself to secrecy about the ghost and Hamlet's pretense of madness, and conspires with Hamlet to prove Claudius' guilt through the traveling players' production of The Murder of Gonzago . He is also the first to know of Hamlet's return from England, and is with him when he learns of Ophelia's death . </P>

Who survives at the end of the play