Shakespeare’s speaker confronts a lover whose very unworthiness somehow deepens his devotion. He’s baffled by the power this person holds—a power that makes him doubt his own eyes, denying the brightness of daylight itself. The lover seems to transform defects into attractions: even their worst actions feel like proof of extraordinary skill. The more reason he has to hate, the more he loves, and he’s aware of how irrational this sounds. He knows others would despise what he adores, yet he pleads that his own misguided affection shouldn’t be held against him. The closing couplet offers a sly twist—if the lover’s flaws have sparked such love, then he himself must be all the more deserving of being loved back. The mood is one of bewildered devotion, mixing self-mockery with genuine longing. The speaker doesn’t simply praise; he puzzles over his own desire, making the poem feel both intimate and intellectually playful.
Sonnet 150: O! from what power hast thou this powerful might — Summary
O! from what power hast thou this powerful might, With insufficiency my heart to sway? To make me give the lie to my true sight, And swear that brightness doth not grace the day? Whence hast thou this becoming of things ill, That in the very refuse of thy deeds There is such strength and warrantise of skill, That, in my mind, thy worst all best exceeds? Who taught thee how to make me love thee more, The more I hear and see just cause of hate? O! though I love what others do abhor, With others thou shouldst not abhor my state: If thy unworthiness rais'd love in me, More worthy I to be belov'd of thee.