Question

Read the excerpt from Act III of Hamlet.

Hamlet: Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.

Which phrase from the excerpt most adds a tone of self-loathing to the speech?

Thus conscience does make cowards of us all
And thus the native hue of resolution
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
Mark this and return

Answer 1

"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all."

This line directly labels himself (and others) a "coward," expressing self-reproach; it turns his philosophical observation into a blunt, self-disparaging admission about his own failure to act.