Please give an explanation as to why Hamlet treats Ophelia the way he does in the nunnery scene in Hamlet.

There are a number of
options you have in explaining 's behaviour towardsin Act III scene 1, the famous nunnery scene,
whereis rather cruel towards her. One of my favourite adaptions of this play is the Kenneth
Brannagh version, which suggests the reason why Hamlet is so cruel towards Ophelia is that he
becomes aware that their conversation is being watched byand . This of course represents a
betrayal of Ophelia towards him, and in this version Hamlet is grief-stricken by yet another
betrayal of somebody whom he loves. Yet if we think about it, how a director stages this scene
is necessarily going to revolve around a question that the text does not answer for us: is
Hamlet aware of Claudius and Polonius and at what point does he become aware of them?

The way a director answers this question will of course have massive ramifications in
terms of Hamlet and how his character is played in this scene. If he remains ignorant of their
presence, then this scene strongly suggests Hamlet's madness and the way that he is losing
control of himself. If he is aware of their presence, this could be a scene where he uses
Ophelia, just as Ophelia has used him, to continue to present his "antic disposition"
to the King. Being aware of the presence of Polonius and Claudius also gives another further
option: Hamlet is so cruel to Ophelia because she has been so cruel to him in betraying him and
setting him up.