Hamlet's only friend in the lengthy play, his schoolchum [[Horatio]], is the only major character who doesn't die. When Hamlet feigns mental illness to cover his unusual activities, he confides to Horatio, "I am only mad north by northwest" and "There's a method to my madness". | Hamlet's only friend in the lengthy play, his schoolchum [[Horatio]], is the only major character who doesn't die. When Hamlet feigns mental illness to cover his unusual activities, he confides to Horatio, "I am only mad north by northwest" and "There's a method to my madness". |