Vol. 08 · Shakespeare ·Hamlet, Act III.i ·Hamlet
"Conscience doth make cowards of us all."
Not quite the line.
How it's usually quoted
"Conscience doth make cowards of us all."
What Shakespeare actually wrote
"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all." Hamlet — Hamlet, Act III.i
Why it matters
"Does," not the archaic "doth" — Shakespeare used the more modern form here. Victorian editions sometimes "fixed" it back to doth, seeding the misquote.
More from the canon.
Browse the rest of the shelf, or try a cold reading.