Conscience does indeed make cowards of us all, but not cowards in the common context, in the natural sense. More than once during William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the title character reflects upon his own character and ponders the problem that he, of all people, is a coward. In its usual context, a coward is one without courage. However, Hamlet lacks neither courage nor resoluteness. Instead, at the beginning of the play, he lacks the rashness for action that Fortinbras has, and more importantly, he lacks the balance between Horatio's moderation and Fortinbras' decisiveness. Hamlet hints that he may be a coward because his conscience leads him to a state of inaction, and that inaction bothers him. Although it influences him to a slowness to action, Hamlet's conscience gradually guides him to a poised position in which he becomes both a man of thought and a man of action. Hamlet's powerful conscience eventually enables him to achieve the harmonious middle ground of a wise and moral man-----the ideal Shakespearean prince. .
Are all moral men doomed to inaction? At first, Hamlet's action, or lack thereof, appears to support the argument. Overwhelmed by the corruption in his kingdom, Hamlet, whose strong and unequivocal moral judgments underlie his character, does not know how to handle the moral disarray he sees, so he retreats to a state of deliberation, of inaction. He approaches his problems by meditating on them and by attempting to reason them out. For instance, when he first finds out that his uncle Claudius murdered his father, Hamlet responds with the thought of immediate vengeance, proclaiming, "The time is out of joint; O cursed spite,/ That ever I was born to set it right!" (1.5.189-190). However, Hamlet backs away from revenge until he is able to pinpoint the king's guilt, trapping the king in the "Play Within the Play," in which Hamlet exclaims, "I'll have grounds/ More relative than this: the play's the thing/ Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.
Hamlet - The Anti-Coward An extended question that arises in Hamlet is: why is there a delay in the actions of the Prince? ... Remember me Hamlet: So, uncle, there you are. ... This scene again shows Hamlet as the thorough thinker, not a coward. The first three acts of Hamlet bring Hamlet much grief and traumatic experiences that most people could not face. ... Hamlet is a hero. ...
Hamlet then calls himself a coward for his inability to say anything in defense of his father. "Am I a coward"(II, ii, 578)? ... Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought. ... Hamlet's conscience is making him a coward by not allowing him to kill Claudius without knowing that he is justified without a doubt. ... His inaction, for which he considers himself a coward, is revealed to be derived from a deeper source of morality and goodness. ...
Hamlet then calls himself a coward for his inability to say anything in defense of his father. "Am I a coward"(II, ii, 578)? ... Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought. ... Hamlet's conscience is making him a coward by not allowing him to kill Claudius without knowing that he is justified without a doubt. ... His inaction, for which he considers himself a coward, is revealed to be derived from a deeper source of morality and goodness. ...
But that isn't good enough for Hamlet. ... In the third soliloquy, Hamlet admits to the audience he is a coward; "What an ass am I!" ... Hamlet poses the question "To be or not to be." ... "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all." The audience in hearing these words from Hamlet sees that Hamlet is incapable of revenge. ...
Hamlet is a tragedy about a man that can't make up his mind. ... There are a number of reasons for Hamlet's procrastination. ... So Hamlet, seeking for revenge was trapped in a dilemma. ... However, after a deep and meaningful conversation with the players, Hamlet finally realises that he has been a coward for procrastinating revenge. ... Am I a coward?" ...
The soliloquies performed by Hamlet help unfold what Hamlet's feelings and thoughts are really about. Without these soliloquies understanding Hamlet would be very hard, and there would be alot of guessing about what Hamlet is really about. ... Throughout the soliloquy Hamlet continues to put himself down as he questions whether he is coward enough to be unable to avenge the death of his Father: "Am I a coward?" ... Is Hamlet too afraid to take action? ... "This analysis of himself as a coward is one to which Hamlet no more returns, at least not in despair at his own insufficiency. ...
King Claudius in Shakespeare's play Hamlet resembles parents of today, and Hamlet represents teenagers of today. ... These lines illustrate how Hamlet views the world as hopeless because humans are afraid of what will happen in the afterlife, thus making humans cowards. It is the conscience that makes man cowards, the deep examination of life that overlaps the will and courage to do something about life. ... Since Hamlet had not killed King Claudius as soon as possible, he is seen as the coward. ... As wise and noble Hamlet can be, his encounter with Queen Gertrude further reveals ...
Hamlet's Soliloquies Throughout this play, Hamlet likes to engage in soliloquies to voice his innermost thoughts and conflicts. ... However, Hamlet himself feels weak in comparison. He calls himself a coward and instead identifies more with a "john-a-dreams, unpregnant of cause" (l. 595) then to the player's rendition of the revengeful Pyrrhus. ... He finally realized that he has been a coward all this time. ... He chastised himself a coward, but at the same time he had no intention of taking the direct action. ...
(Act 1, Scene 2, lines 139-141) Hamlet is also very sensitive and emotional. ... One could possibly argue that Hamlet is a coward and he is putting off killing his uncle, but this is not the case. Hamlet's plan to kill Claudius is well thought out, and not the work of a madman or a coward. ... Although the murder is accidental, Hamlet is not at all remorseful. ... This is the sort of revenge that Hamlet wishes to have. ...
