Aaron Sutton

Mr. Palcsey

H. English 10

October 16 2017

Conscience Examination: Hamlet

Throughout Hamlet, the conscience plays an important role in many of the characters. As

the lead role in the play, Hamlet is a character who is affected deeply by his conscience, both

positively and negatively. Hamlet experience a battle with his conscience at points during the

play. Hamlet’s conscience is what defines him and drives his actions that will ultimately decide

his own fate.

Analysis of Hamlet’s conscience is something of both mystery and revelation. It tells

much about his character along with his moral and ethical standards. It is also somewhat cryptic,

and complicated. There is much more beneath the surface of Hamlet’s action and appearance.

Much of his character and motive is found within his thoughts and soliloquies. Act I opens with

the death of King Hamlet, who appears as a ghost to Horatio and Barnardo. Soon after, Hamlet

makes his first appearance in the play. The situation that Hamlet finds himself in is soon

explained thereafter. Hamlet’s father has died, and shortly after, Hamlet’s uncle Claudias marries

Gertrude, his mother. Hamlet is very clearly in a stricken emotional state upon receiving the

news. Hamlet is forced to undergo his mother’s remarriage to his uncle, all while not being

granted ample time to grieve over the loss of his father. This situation presents Hamlet to both his
family and friends, as well as the reader, as if Hamlet has gone insane. However, this is not the

whole truth.

When Hamlet is visited by his father’s ghost, he is informed that Claudius is the one who

murdered his father. The ghost of King Hamlet asks Hamlet to avenge his death. While Hamlet is

in a clearly unstable state, it seems as though he would carry out this act of revenge without

thinking twice, murdering King Claudius to find closure and seek revenge for the death of his

father. This however, is not the case. Hamlet struggles with the decision to kill the King. He

knows that his father’s death would be avenged and the corrupt King Claudius would be ousted,

but at the same some his conscience and moral values tell him that it is wrong. He concerns

himself with the possibility that his soul may not find rest in heaven if he does kill the King.

Hamlet instead crafts an ingenious plan to get Claudius to admit guilt. He used a group of

traveling actors, referred to as “players” in the play, to enact a story about a king who is

murdered. His goal is to guilt Claudius in into confessing, and he is successful. This shows that

Hamlet is not insane. Despite being in a state of emotional distress he is still able to make sound

decisions and have a moral code in his conscience that prevents him from committing murder.

This is not all the tragedy that befalls Hamlet throughout the play. He develops feelings for a

girl named Ophelia, who is the daughter of Polonius. Polonius gives Ophelia a stern warning to

stay away from Hamlet because many believe that he is crazy. So crazy, in fact, that Claudius

conspires with Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet and get to the bottom

of the situation. Hamlet easily outsmarts Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, seeing through their real

intention. Hamlet shows the ability to analyze a situation and understand how certain things are
interconnected. Hamlet feels little remorse after killing Polonius, because he believes that

Ophelia is being dragged into the plot against him by Polonius and Claudius.

To conclude, Hamlet’s character is much more than that of what meets the eye. His conscience is

a major part of what makes him the character that he is.