One of the beauties of Hamlet’s Act III, scene i, the famous Nunnery Scene, is that it provides a thorough insight into Hamlet’s persona and his relationship with other characters. Furthermore, because it is so open to interpretation, there are a multitude of ways to enact it while still doing justice to the play. As a director, my challenge would be to dramatize the scene in such a way that it remains true to life while adding depth to character’s words and actions.
My first move as the Nunnery Scene’s director would be to have it set in the court’s chapel. Not only would this fit in with the scene's theme, it would also allow the characters’ performances to match their location. For instance, when Polonius comments on how people act devoted to god to mask their bad deeds and Hamlet contemplates the morality of suicide, it would be appropriate that they are in a worship place.
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Polonius and Claudius would be hiding in the balcony of the chapel, Ophelia would be kneeling on a front row pew and Hamlet would be murmuring his soliloquy as he is entering. It would be quite awkward for the audience to see the King, Polonius and Ophelia ignore Hamlet’s “To be or not to be…” and carry on as if nothing happened. For this reason, I would have Hamlet finish his soliloquy before fully entering the chapel. Unfortunately, this means that Ophelia does not hear his final words: “The fair Ophelia! Nymph in thy orisons / Be all my sins remembered.” Rather, he expects her to see beyond his words and to forgive