Question

Read the excerpt from Act III of 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 word does Hamlet use to describe those who choose to live?

Answer 1

Cowards is the answer for Edgnuity; however, I disagree that he was referring to those who live as cowards. What I believe he is saying is that when we ponder whether it is better to live or die, consciousness, we become cowards the longer we consider it, because we become unable to choose.

Answer 2

Hamlet uses the word "cowards" to describe those who choose to live. 

In this soliloquy he is expressing his desire to die and his frustration in himself that he can't even do that. He is saying that the fear of not knowing what happens when you die keeps people from killing themselves.