Horatio says ’tis but our fantasy, / And will not let belief take hold of him / Touching this dreaded sight, twice seen of us.
Act I, Scene 1
Context
Marcellus explains to Horatio why they have brought him to the night watch: Horatio has dismissed the soldiers' reports of a ghost as mere fantasy and needs to see the apparition himself.
Analysis
The verb phrase 'will not let belief take hold' personifies belief as something trying to grip Horatio, while he actively resists it. This frames skepticism not as neutral doubt but as a kind of defensive action, suggesting that Horatio is working hard to keep the irrational at bay. The passive construction 'twice seen of us' quietly asserts the guards' experience as fact, putting pressure on Horatio's refusal.
Essay Tip
Use this to argue that the play stages a conflict between rational skepticism and witnessed experience—Horatio's active resistance ('will not let') shows that doubt requires effort when the evidence keeps mounting.