Hamlet: The Theme of Having A Clear Conscience :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

juncture The estimation of Having A Clear Conscience The most pregnant line in Hamlet  is, The plays the thing, wherein Ill catchthe conscience of the king. (II, ii, 617).  In the play, the issue of a lickconscience forms a key motif.  When the conscience of the char arrangeers appears, itdoes so as a declaration of some action as in the case of the same line,which follows Hamlets conversation with the player.  This line is of particularsignificance because it ties action and its effect on the conscience of thecharacters.  The nature of Hamlet is conscience, and action plays an importantrole in creating the development of the plot. No where is this development seen fairer than with Hamlet.  The Princesdevelopment comes as a result of the self-evaluation of the actions that havetaken place, and the ensuing actions that he takes are a clear result of thisself-evaluation.  So, in essence, the actions cause him to think of hisconscience and the n act upon these feelings.  Hamlets several soliloquies are atestament to this manner.  His first soliloquy, chase a conversation withhis recently wed mother and uncle reflect the uneasiness he feels.  He feelsbetrayed.  O, most wicked speed, to post, with such dexterity to incestuoussheets. . . merely break my heart, for I must hold my tounge. (I, ii, 156-159).Hamlets conscience tells him what is wrong-in this case, the hasty marriage-buthe is ambivalent as to how to approach it before he meets the ghost, silence ishis method.  When Hamlet meets his fathers ghost however, he feels sure ofhimself, and knows what he must do.  As a result of the dialogue with the ghost,Hamlets conscience makes him feel that revenge is the best method to deal withthe problems that face him. The consciences of Hamlet, and to a lesser extent, Claudius, affect their finiss in the play.  However, two characters only question themselves afterthey have been prompted by som e ad hoc action or dialogue.  By self-evaluation,the characters then make the conscious decision to take action with theirfeelings.  An example of this is at the end of act II, following Hamletsconversation with the player.  In the soliloquy to end the act (whereupon themost important line is derived), Hamlet questions his passion for the plot hehas planned, and his conversation has clear affected this ambivlance.  However,after mulling over his passion- or lack thereof-towards his plot, Hamlet endsthe soliloquy determined to carry out the play.  Hamlet is questioning hisallegiance to the arrangement he made with his father in Act I, but by the end of the