In the famous title quote from Richard III, William Shakespeare has his protagonist disregard the concept of conscience as a mere ,word‘, an invention of no further consequence to a brave person. Meanwhile Hamlet complains that “conscience does make cowards of us all“ and thereby infers a strong significance of conscience to mankind. These popular, though seemingly contradictory statements raise the question just what exact understanding of said moral concept Shakespeare wanted to relay to his audience. What was conscience to him, his audience and his contemporary writers? Was conscience seen as ,but a word‘, a cowardly excuse for inaction or as an innate concept dwelling in every man? What were the underlying principles of his set of moral values?
Both the author and his contemporaries had an interest towards both the specific moral phenomenon of conscience and the intricacies of the human persona and its inner moral values.
In the two plays at hand, Richard III and Hamlet, conscience is displayed as an innate concept. In their beliefs towards this concept, heroes and villains do not contradict, but complement each other. All relevant scenes from the two plays taken together exhibit a comprehensive image of the discourse of conscience in the Elizabethan Age. It ranges from personified character and externality to an inner contemplation with God and man‘s own soul, from an exhilarating righteous feeling to purgatory-like torment on Earth. It shows a broad understanding of the term, much more extensive than our modern perception of it, which has narrowed down to the single meaning of discernment between good and evil. Nevertheless, conscience stands in a long tradition of philosophical debates and Shakespeare adds his own touch to it with Richard III. and Hamlet, leaving modern eyes with a better appreciation of concept of conscience.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1.What is Conscience?
1.1 The Elizabethan Concept of Moral Responsibility
1.1.1. The Doctrine of the Three Souls
1.1.2. The Passions
1.2 Discourse of Conscience
1.3 Conscience in Theater
2. Conscience as a Phenomenon
2.1 Conscience in Richard III.
2.1.1. Richard‘s Character
2.1.2. A Material Intruder to the Body
2.1.3. Rejecting Conscience and Richard‘s Trial
2.1.4. Clarence‘s Trial
2.2 Conscience in Hamlet
2.2.1. Claudius
2.2.2. Hamlet‘s Internal Conscience
2.2.3. Moral Ambiguities
2.2.4. Stricken by Melancholy and Conscience
2.2.5. Stained Conscience to Perfect Conscience
2.3 Conscience and Cowardice
3. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Thematic Focus
The primary objective of this thesis is to examine the multifaceted understanding of conscience in the Elizabethan era as portrayed in William Shakespeare's plays "Richard III." and "Hamlet." The work explores how the concept of conscience evolves from an external, personified moral instance in earlier works to an internalized, psychological struggle, ultimately addressing the tension between the philosophical discourse of the time and the dramatic representation of moral values.
- The Elizabethan concept of moral responsibility and the doctrine of the three souls.
- Comparative analysis of conscience in "Richard III." and "Hamlet".
- The theatrical tradition of the morality play and its influence on villain characterization.
- The psychological and moral complexities of "conscience-based melancholy."
- The relationship between conscience, cowardice, and the morality of revenge.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1.3. Rejecting Conscience and Richard‘s Trial
While for the two murderers conscience therefore is a natural, though annoying phenomenon, Richard himself rejects the transcendental reality of conscience at all costs. His words of choice are:
Conscience is but a word that cowards use,
Devis’d at first to keep the strong in awe:
Our strong arms be our conscience, swords our law!58
Richard concedes its effectiveness on other‘s process of deliberation who might be held back by it, although personally he does not experience its effects. He diminishes conscience to be just a ‘word‘, to be just a mental construct cowards can hide behind, but certainly not an immaterial overlying principle that he has no control over. Richard is a man that needs to be in control at all times, with all his plots he is the mastermind of the play, the one who is pulling all the strings in the background. This man cannot accept that there might be something out of his reach and so he refuses the notion of conscience. Instead he equates it with something physical, his arm, strong and real, and utterly under his command. This sort of equation is not unique for Richard, it runs through the entire play, friends and foes alike.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This section establishes the research question by contrasting the differing perspectives on conscience in "Richard III." and "Hamlet" and defines the investigative framework based on Elizabethan moral values.
1.What is Conscience?: This chapter outlines the historical and philosophical foundations of Elizabethan moral philosophy, focusing on the doctrine of the three souls and the role of passions in moral judgment.
2. Conscience as a Phenomenon: This core chapter applies the established theoretical framework to the specific characters and dramatic conflicts in "Richard III." and "Hamlet," analyzing the transition from external moral representation to internal psychological conflict.
3. Conclusion: The final chapter synthesizes the findings, noting that while the two plays differ in their portrayal of conscience, both demonstrate the profound relevance of this moral concept in Shakespeare's character development and narrative structure.
Keywords
Conscience, William Shakespeare, Richard III., Hamlet, Elizabethan Age, Moral Philosophy, Three Souls, Passions, Melancholy, Revenge, Morality Plays, Vice Character, Machiavellian Villain, Divine Providence, Ethics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic work?
This thesis investigates the multifaceted concept of conscience in the Elizabethan age and how William Shakespeare translates this philosophical term into the dramatic actions and internal conflicts of his protagonists in "Richard III." and "Hamlet."
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The work covers Elizabethan psychological theories, the shift from morality play traditions to complex character realism, the theological discourse of conscience, and the binary perception of conscience as either an external force or an internal voice.
What is the central research question?
The study explores whether conscience is merely a word used by cowards, as the character Richard III. claims, or if it acts as a genuine constraint on action that influences the moral outcomes of the plays.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author employs a comparative literary analysis, grounding the study in contemporary Elizabethan treatises (such as those by William Perkins and Robert Burton) to interpret the moral and psychological frameworks present in Shakespeare's text.
What does the main body of the work address?
The main part of the work provides a detailed analysis of "Richard III." as a play featuring an external, near-personified conscience, and "Hamlet" as a play focusing on an internalized, tormenting conscience, followed by a discussion on the link between conscience and cowardice.
Which keywords characterize the work?
The most relevant keywords include Conscience, Shakespeare, Richard III., Hamlet, Moral Philosophy, Elizabethan Age, Melancholy, Revenge, and Ethics.
How does Richard III. relate to the "Vice" character tradition?
Richard III. is analyzed as a character who embodies the "formal Vice" of traditional morality plays, using a playful, conspiratorial relationship with the audience to mask his evil deeds, before eventually being confronted by his own conscience.
What role does "melancholy" play in the case of Hamlet?
The work interprets Hamlet's behavior through the lens of Elizabethan psychology, debating whether his condition is a result of a physical ailment like melancholy or an affliction of the soul stemming from a burdened, active conscience.
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- Imke Fischer (Autor:in), 2016, Is conscience "but a word that cowards use"? An analysis of conscience in William Shakespeare's "Richard III" and "Hamlet", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/375602
