THE CLOSET SCENE

Analysis

Hamlet and his mother are in the closet. The setting is functional to a very private feeling, especially to show Hamlet's inner anger.

1: Look here, upon this picture, and on this: Hamlet invites his mother to watch his father's portrait and Claudius'. The use of "this" indicates they are very close to the picture and the imperative form is used because Hamlet is rebuking his mother.

2: The counterfeit presentment of two brothers: Hamlet says " counterfeit presentment" instead of "portrait" because to me he wants to underline that a picture cannot tell the truth but it is only a representation of something. In addition also the words: two brothers" add the meaning to it: Claudius is very different from his father, therefore it is only a false representation of two brothers that are very unrelated.

3: See, what a grace was seated on this brow: Hamlet urges Gertrude to watch the pictures again and he starts to make a comparison with his father, in order to highlight his esteem to him. He begins with the metaphor of the "brow" in order to talk about grace, especially the moral one, linked to medieval point of view.
The present past of "was seated" underlines that the king is dead.

4: Hyperion's curls; the front of Jove himself: Hamlet is comparing his father to gods in a way to demonstrate that he had lots of qualities and he was almost perfect. Of course Hamlet exaggerates but his aim is to convince his mother of dead king's greatness.
The references to mythology render the speak more cultured. Indeed the cultivate could understand for examples that with "the front of Jove himself", Hamlet wanted to underline his father's prudence and wisdom. Furthermore he makes reference to Hyperion's curls because during the middle ages curls were considered elegance's sign.

5: An eye like Mars, to threaten and command: Mars was the god of war, therefore the line means that his father had steadiness and a great ability of commanding (Latin word), so he was a leader.

6-7: A station like the herald Mercury/ New-lighted on a heaven-kissing hill: it means that the dead king's bearing was good as Mercury's when he has just been lighted on a heaven-kissing hill (an hill very high, almost kissing heaven). During the middle ages a good bearing was a symbol for good moral qualities.
Hamlet uses the word "station" because it is a match point.

8-9-10: A combination and a form indeed/ Where every god did seem to set his seal/ To give the world assurance of a man: it is the revealing element of Hamlet's aim: he wants to highline his father's perfections and qualities, as if gods gave him their best skills. So, his mother would be impressed and urged to make a comparison with Claudius.
"A combination and a form" means that the dead king was beautiful from an aesthetic point of view but also for his ethical qualities.

11: This was your husband. Look you now, what follows: Hamlet underlines that this, the portrait near him, was the picture of his dead husband. Now, he incites Gertrude to look portraits again to see what will happen (it is always used the imperative form)

12 : Here is your husband; like a mildew'd ear: Hamlet repeats "your husband" with a different form of "to be": before it was used the present form and now the past one. The aim of it is to underline the difference between the dead king and his brother and to create a comparison.
In addition he uses a similar: his uncle is as a mildew ear of corn, something rotten.

13: Blasting his wholesome brother. Have you eyes?: "blasting his wholesome brother" means that his uncle had infected his brother. The use of the word brother underlines the Hamlet's goal of highlighting the false relationship between them.
Then Hamlet asks his mother if she has eyes to see and perceive the differences between them.

14-15: Could you on this fair mountain leave to feed/ And batten on this moor? Ha! have you eyes?:
Hamlet carries on with his similar referred to agriculture. He says that she has stooped grazing to get fat on this more. "This" underlines the nearby and the meaning is that she has left what was really good for her, only because she wanted to yield to life's delights. Then Hamlet repeats the question, in a way to convince his mother to watch the portrait.

16: You cannot call it love; for at your age:  he incites Gertrude to believe it is not true love: to Hamlet it is impossible that she can love Claudius after having loved his father. "For at your age" means that Gertrude is an adult and it confirms the falseness of the love, as it is explained in the following line.

17-18: The heyday in the blood is tame, it's humble/ And waits upon the judgment: he says that at her age she could not feel passionate love as hers, because passion is not submitted to reason/judgment when somebody is adult.

Hamlet seems to make the role of the adult and his mother the daughter's one, who is still involved by passions.

18-19:  And what judgment/ Would step from this to this? Sense, sure, you have: Hamlet says that reason cannot permit to fall in love with Claudius after having loved his father, because they are completely different and the dead king had a lot of qualities. Therefore he asks himself indirectly if Gertrude has got good sense and the answer is: sure.

20-21: Else could you not have motion; but sure, that sense/ Is apoplex'd : to Hamlet his mother has got sanity and good sense, because she has got the will to experience this love; so the problem is that her good sense is as paralyzed.

21:For madness would not err: the demonstration of her sense's paralysis is that madness would not make errors. So to Hamlet his mother's feeling are worse than madness.

22-23-24: Nor sense to ecstasy was ne'er so thrall'd/ But it reserved some quantity of choice/ To serve in such a difference: another demonstration to it is that her sense could not have been so thrilled not to have the power of making a choice, especially after having understood the differences between Claudius and king Hamlet. Therefore Hamlet is blaming Gertrude's sense paralysis that cannot make her doing the good choice. As a matter of fact not even sense could not be subdued by such delirium.

24:What devil was't:  Hamlet wants to understand the cause of her mother's sense paralysis, identified as a devil, who has submitted her.

25:That thus hath cozen'd you at hoodman-blind? : to Hamlet the devil has deceived her into a game of blind man's buff. It means that he does not blame her mother for her sense paralysis. As a matter of fact Hamlet always tries to accuse something /somebody else instead of her mother because he cannot and he does not want to admit her faults.

26: Eyes without feeling, feeling without sight: Hamlet starts to make a reference to the five senses and to parts of the body to emphasize his mother's fault. Definitely it is only a device to convince his mother of it.

Here he refers to sight ,feeling and eyes by using a chiasm.

27: Ears without hands or eyes, smelling sans all: in this line he makes reference to ears, hands, eyes and a sense, smelling.  Smelling sans all means deprived of everything.

28-29: Or but a sickly part of one true sense/ Could not so mope:  here the aim of the metaphor is expressed. Hamlet wants to underline that even if she were deaf, blind or she had not the sense of smelling or feeling could not be so confused and able to act in such ways. Therefore Hamlet wants to focus on her acts' incomprehensibility.

29: O shame! where is thy blush?: it seems as a repetition because blush is the effect of shame. He incites her to shame and at the same time he asks her where is her shame that she would have.

30: Rebellious hell: his mother passion is now identified with a rebellious hell. The use of element in the dialogue such as hell and devil makes a reference to religion. As a matter of fact Hamlet tragedy is about a medieval story and during the Middle Ages the religious code was basic.

31: If thou canst mutine in a matron's bones: passion is personified and it is accused of having mutinied and having entered his mother's bones. The use of matron refers to his mother's age, as in the 16 line.

32: To flaming youth let virtue be as wax: Hamlet compares virtues of youth who are swept away by passion to a wax.

33: And melt in her own fire: proclaim no shame:  the comparison carries on by saying that wax melt in her own fire, that means that virtues vanish because of passion, but it is not to be considered as a shame.

34-35-36: When the compulsive ardor gives the charge /Since frost itself as actively doth burn/ And reason panders will: Hamlet says that it is not a shame if the irresistible passion swept away people and even ice burns insomuch as reason procures what passion desires. Of course it is ironic, as a matter of fact reason could not be subdued by passion, that is more serious if the person involved is an adult as Gertrude.