Painterly empty wooden courtroom bench with a small gavel beneath a spotlight.

Original artwork, not a still

Richard III, 5:3

William Shakespeare

My conscience hath a thousand several tongues, And every tongue brings in a several tale, And every tale condemns me for a villain.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker imagines conscience as a crowd of voices, each telling a different story, and every story ends with the same verdict: villain. It is a portrait of self-condemnation, where guilt multiplies and offers no defence, leaving the speaker judged by their own inner accusers.

Context reviewed

Share this quote