Wednesday, January 2, 2008

A T.O.'d Horatio?

"So Guildenstern and Rosencrantz go to't." - Horatio (Act 5.2; Line 56)

In line fifty-six, Horatio completes Hamlet's dialogue concerning the fate of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. From textual evidence surrounding Horatio's quote, it can be concluded that Horatio disapprovingly states this phrase to Hamlet. In response, Hamlet quotes, "Why, man, they did make love to this employment." Hamlet seems to be justifying Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's death as a fate well deserved. This means of trying to justify these deaths hints at the possibility that Horatio replies to Hamlet disdainfully and in turn Hamlet explains to Horatio why they had it coming in the first place, and further explains, "Their defeat does by their own insinuation grow." Rosencrantz and Guildenstern willingly spied and stuck their noses in on their "friend's" business. Hamlet reasonably disapproves. So why would Horatio be all aghast about the death of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? It may not even be inferred to in the text, but one speculation could be that Horatio believes, despite Hamlets claims, that maybe Rosencrantz and Guildenstern did not know the full implications of what they were doing.

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