Hamlet, Act III, Scene IV

E717096

dramatic scene scene in a play

"Hamlet, Act III, Scene IV" is the pivotal closet scene in Shakespeare’s tragedy where Hamlet confronts his mother Gertrude, accidentally kills Polonius, and deepens the play’s psychological and moral crisis.

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All labels observed (3)

Label	Occurrences
Act III of Hamlet	1
Gertrude witnesses Hamlet’s emotional turmoil	1
Hamlet, Act III, Scene IV canonical	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T8156777 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Hamlet, Act III, Scene IV
Context triple: [Polonius, deathIn, Hamlet, Act III, Scene IV]

A. Banquo’s ghost banquet scene
Banquo’s ghost banquet scene is a pivotal moment in Shakespeare’s Macbeth where the murdered Banquo’s apparition appears at a royal feast, exposing Macbeth’s guilt and unraveling his sanity before the assembled nobles.
B. The Tavern Scene
The Tavern Scene is a genre painting by Dutch Golden Age artist Abraham Bloemaert depicting lively social life in a rustic inn.
C. Romeo and Juliet: The Tomb Scene
"Romeo and Juliet: The Tomb Scene" is a dramatic 18th-century painting by Joseph Wright of Derby depicting the tragic climax of Shakespeare’s play in a characteristically intense, chiaroscuro-lit composition.
D. Hamlet (1996 film)
Hamlet (1996 film) is Kenneth Branagh’s unabridged, star-studded cinematic adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy, renowned for its four-hour runtime and lavish 70mm production.
E. Hamlet (1990 film)
Hamlet (1990 film) is a cinematic adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Mel Gibson as the Prince of Denmark.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Hamlet, Act III, Scene IV
Target entity description: "Hamlet, Act III, Scene IV" is the pivotal closet scene in Shakespeare’s tragedy where Hamlet confronts his mother Gertrude, accidentally kills Polonius, and deepens the play’s psychological and moral crisis.

A. Banquo’s ghost banquet scene
Banquo’s ghost banquet scene is a pivotal moment in Shakespeare’s Macbeth where the murdered Banquo’s apparition appears at a royal feast, exposing Macbeth’s guilt and unraveling his sanity before the assembled nobles.
B. The Tavern Scene
The Tavern Scene is a genre painting by Dutch Golden Age artist Abraham Bloemaert depicting lively social life in a rustic inn.
C. Romeo and Juliet: The Tomb Scene
"Romeo and Juliet: The Tomb Scene" is a dramatic 18th-century painting by Joseph Wright of Derby depicting the tragic climax of Shakespeare’s play in a characteristically intense, chiaroscuro-lit composition.
D. Hamlet (1996 film)
Hamlet (1996 film) is Kenneth Branagh’s unabridged, star-studded cinematic adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy, renowned for its four-hour runtime and lavish 70mm production.
E. Hamlet (1990 film)
Hamlet (1990 film) is a cinematic adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Mel Gibson as the Prince of Denmark.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (47)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	dramatic scene ⓘ scene in a play ⓘ
characterDevelopment	deepens Gertrude’s awareness of her moral position ⓘ intensifies Hamlet’s alienation from Gertrude ⓘ reveals Hamlet’s capacity for sudden violence ⓘ triggers Laertes’ later desire for revenge through Polonius’s death ⓘ
containsMotif	ghostly visitation ⓘ misrecognition and error ⓘ surveillance and spying ⓘ
creator	William Shakespeare ⓘ
dramaticDevice	intense dialogue and stichomythia ⓘ onstage appearance of the Ghost visible only to Hamlet ⓘ use of the arras to conceal Polonius ⓘ
dramaticFunction	pivotal confrontation between Hamlet and Gertrude ⓘ turning point in psychological conflict ⓘ
featuresCharacter	Ghost of King Hamlet ⓘ Hamlet ⓘ Polonius ⓘ Queen Gertrude ⓘ linked to: Gertrude
genre	tragedy ⓘ
language	Early Modern English ⓘ
locationType	interior chamber ⓘ
moralSignificance	heightens the play’s ethical and psychological crisis ⓘ
notableLine	“Do not forget: this visitation / Is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose.” ⓘ “O Hamlet, speak no more: / Thou turn’st mine eyes into my very soul.” ⓘ “You go not till I set you up a glass / Where you may see the inmost part of you.” ⓘ
partOf	Hamlet ⓘ
plotEvent	Gertrude witnesses Hamlet’s emotional turmoil ⓘ linked to: Hamlet, Act III, Scene IV Ghost of King Hamlet appears to Hamlet ⓘ linked to: Ghost of King Hamlet Hamlet confronts Gertrude about her marriage to Claudius ⓘ Hamlet kills Polonius behind the arras ⓘ
positionInWork	Act III, Scene IV ⓘ
setting	Gertrude’s closet ⓘ
structuralRole	major turning point in the play’s action ⓘ prepares for Ophelia’s madness and Laertes’ return ⓘ
theme	appearance versus reality ⓘ family conflict ⓘ guilt and conscience ⓘ madness and sanity ⓘ moral corruption ⓘ sexual revulsion and disgust ⓘ violence and unintended consequences ⓘ
timeOfComposition	around 1600–1601 ⓘ
tone	confrontational ⓘ intense ⓘ psychologically charged ⓘ
workPeriod	English Renaissance drama ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Polonius → deathIn → Hamlet, Act III, Scene IV ⓘ

Guildenstern → mentionedIn → Act III of Hamlet ⓘ

linked to: Hamlet, Act III, Scene IV

Hamlet, Act III, Scene IV → plotEvent → Gertrude witnesses Hamlet’s emotional turmoil ⓘ