Explained Quote From Hamlet: "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all"

Essay by tonlocoHigh School, 11th gradeA+, May 2004

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Quote from Hamlet

"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all". These words said by Hamlet are very strong in meaning and really do make a lot of sense. I agree with this quote. I really do believe that a person's guilty conscience may cause them to have fear of doing what is right or of telling another person the truth or what needs to be said.

A person's conscience is what tells the person what is right and it lets the person know when he or she has committed something that is morally wrong. A conscience does not force the person to do anything, but it does let them know when they are wrong and this guilt can lead the person to act in different ways. A guilty conscience is extremely difficult to deal with because no matter what you do or how you try to block out what you have on your mind, your conscience is always there letting you know that you have done something wrong.

It is almost like carrying a 1,000-pound load on your back and trying to walk straight. It is nearly impossible to go on normally through the day with your guilty conscience knocking on your mind and never letting you rest.

A conscience can also let a person know that he or she should not do something because it is wrong. In Hamlet's case, he states that his conscience is letting him know that killing his uncle would be extremely wrong, and this is why he is acting like a coward and putting it off. I can't really blame Hamlet for being afraid of killing somebody. Murdering somebody is a big deal and it can come with many consequences if you are caught. In a way, your conscience is like...