Hamlet: The Theme Of Having A Clear Conscience

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to incestuous
sheets. . . but break my heart, for I must hold my tounge." (I, ii, 156-159).
Hamlet's conscience tells him what is wrong-in this case, the hasty marriage-but
he is ambivalent as to how to approach it; before he meets the ghost, silence is
his method. When Hamlet meets his father's ghost however, he feels sure of
himself, and knows what he must do. As a result of the dialogue with the ghost,
Hamlet's conscience makes him feel that revenge is the best method to deal with
the problems that face him.

The consciences of Hamlet, and to a lesser extent, Claudius, affect their
decisions in the play. However, both characters only question themselves after
they have been prompted by some specific action or dialogue. By self-evaluation,
the characters then make the conscious decision to take action with their
feelings. An example of this is at the end of act II, following Hamlet's
conversation with the player. In the soliloquy to end the act (whereupon the
most ...

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