Sonnet 118: Like As To Make Our Appetites More Keen
Like as, to make our appetites more keen,
With eager compounds we our palate urge,
As, to prevent our maladies unseen,
We sicken to shun sickness when we purge;
Even so, being full or your ne’er-cloying sweetness,
To bitter sauces did I frame my feeding;
And, sick of welfare, found a kind of meetness
To be diseas’d, ere that there was true needing.
Thus policy in love, to anticipate
The ills that were not, grew to faults assur’d,
And brought to medicine a healthful state,
Which, rank of goodness, would by ill be cur’d;
But thence I learn, and find the lesson true,
Drugs poison him that so fell sick of you.
Line 1:
“Like as, to make our appetites more keen,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Keen: Sharp or eager.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The sonnet opens with the poet comparing his actions to the way people use strong flavors to sharpen their appetites. This suggests that the poet is reflecting on how he has sought to intensify his feelings, even if it means experiencing discomfort.
The line sets the tone for the sonnet, which explores the idea that the poet has deliberately sought out bitterness to contrast with the beloved’s sweetness.
Line 2:
“With eager compounds we our palate urge,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Eager compounds: Strong or pungent flavors.
- Palate urge: Stimulate or excite the taste buds.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet describes how people use strong flavors to excite their taste buds, suggesting that he has similarly sought out intense experiences to heighten his emotions. This reflects the idea that the poet has deliberately sought out bitterness to contrast with the beloved’s sweetness.
The line reinforces the poet’s reflection on his actions and their consequences.
Line 3:
“As, to prevent our maladies unseen,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Maladies unseen: Hidden illnesses or ailments.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet compares his actions to the way people take medicine to prevent hidden illnesses, suggesting that he has sought out bitterness as a form of preventative measure. This reflects the idea that the poet has deliberately sought out discomfort to avoid becoming too complacent in his love.
The line reinforces the poet’s reflection on his actions and their consequences.
Line 4:
“We sicken to shun sickness when we purge;”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Sicken: Make ourselves ill.
- Purge: Cleanse or purify.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet describes how people make themselves ill to avoid sickness by purging, suggesting that he has similarly sought out bitterness to avoid becoming too complacent in his love. This reflects the idea that the poet has deliberately sought out discomfort as a form of preventative measure.
The line reinforces the poet’s reflection on his actions and their consequences.
Line 5:
“Even so, being full or your ne’er-cloying sweetness,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Ne’er-cloying: Never becoming too sweet or overwhelming.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet describes how the beloved’s sweetness is never overwhelming, suggesting that he has sought out bitterness to contrast with their sweetness. This reflects the idea that the poet has deliberately sought out discomfort to heighten his appreciation of the beloved’s love.
The line reinforces the poet’s reflection on his actions and their consequences.
Line 6:
“To bitter sauces did I frame my feeding;”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Bitter sauces: Harsh or unpleasant experiences.
- Frame my feeding: Shape my experiences.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet admits that he has deliberately sought out harsh or unpleasant experiences to contrast with the beloved’s sweetness, suggesting that he has framed his experiences in a way that heightens his emotions. This reflects the idea that the poet has deliberately sought out discomfort to avoid becoming too complacent in his love.
The line reinforces the poet’s reflection on his actions and their consequences.
Line 7:
“And, sick of welfare, found a kind of meetness”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Sick of welfare: Tired of well-being or comfort.
- Meetness: Appropriateness or suitability.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet describes how he has grown tired of well-being and found a kind of appropriateness in seeking out discomfort, suggesting that he has deliberately sought out bitterness to avoid becoming too complacent in his love. This reflects the idea that the poet has framed his experiences in a way that heightens his emotions.
The line reinforces the poet’s reflection on his actions and their consequences.
Line 8:
“To be diseas’d, ere that there was true needing.”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Diseas’d: Made ill or uncomfortable.
- Ere: Before.
- True needing: Actual necessity.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet admits that he has made himself uncomfortable before there was any actual necessity, suggesting that he has deliberately sought out bitterness to avoid becoming too complacent in his love. This reflects the idea that the poet has framed his experiences in a way that heightens his emotions.
The line reinforces the poet’s reflection on his actions and their consequences.
Line 9:
“Thus policy in love, to anticipate”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Policy: Strategy or plan.
- Anticipate: Prepare for or prevent.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet describes his actions as a strategy in love to anticipate and prevent potential problems, suggesting that he has deliberately sought out bitterness to avoid becoming too complacent in his love. This reflects the idea that the poet has framed his experiences in a way that heightens his emotions.
The line reinforces the poet’s reflection on his actions and their consequences.
Line 10:
“The ills that were not, grew to faults assur’d,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Ills: Problems or discomforts.
- Faults assur’d: Certain mistakes or flaws.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet admits that his strategy of anticipating problems that did not exist has led to certain mistakes or flaws, suggesting that his actions have had unintended consequences. This reflects the idea that the poet’s deliberate seeking of discomfort has caused harm rather than preventing it.
The line reinforces the poet’s reflection on his actions and their consequences.
Line 11:
“And brought to medicine a healthful state,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Medicine: Treatment or remedy.
- Healthful state: A state of good health.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet describes how his actions have brought medicine to a state of good health, suggesting that his deliberate seeking of discomfort has paradoxically led to a healthier state. This reflects the idea that the poet’s actions, while flawed, have had some positive effects.
The line reinforces the poet’s reflection on his actions and their consequences.
Line 12:
“Which, rank of goodness, would by ill be cur’d;”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Rank of goodness: Overabundance of goodness.
- Ill: Harshness or discomfort.
- Cur’d: Cured or corrected.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet explains that an overabundance of goodness would be corrected by harshness or discomfort, suggesting that his deliberate seeking of bitterness has balanced the beloved’s sweetness. This reflects the idea that the poet’s actions, while flawed, have had some positive effects.
The line reinforces the poet’s reflection on his actions and their consequences.
Line 13:
“But thence I learn, and find the lesson true,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Thence: From that.
- Lesson true: A valuable or accurate lesson.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet declares that he has learned a valuable lesson from his actions, suggesting that he has gained insight into the consequences of his deliberate seeking of discomfort. This reflects the idea that the poet’s actions, while flawed, have led to personal growth.
The line reinforces the poet’s reflection on his actions and their consequences.
Line 14:
“Drugs poison him that so fell sick of you.”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Drugs: Medicines or remedies.
- Poison: Harm or damage.
- Fell sick of you: Became ill from loving you.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The sonnet concludes with the poet declaring that the remedies he sought have poisoned him, suggesting that his deliberate seeking of discomfort has caused harm rather than preventing it. This reflects the idea that the poet’s actions, while well-intentioned, have had unintended consequences.
The line reinforces the poet’s reflection on his actions and their consequences.
Summary of the Sonnet:
Sonnet 118 explores the idea that the poet has deliberately sought out bitterness and discomfort to contrast with the beloved’s sweetness and to avoid becoming too complacent in his love. The poet compares his actions to the way people use strong flavors to sharpen their appetites or take medicine to prevent illness, suggesting that he has framed his experiences in a way that heightens his emotions. However, the poet admits that his strategy has led to certain mistakes and flaws, and that the remedies he sought have poisoned him. The sonnet reflects Shakespeare’s exploration of the complexities of love and the consequences of seeking out discomfort to heighten emotions, as well as the poet’s recognition of the unintended harm caused by his actions.
In-Depth Analysis of Sonnet 118
Summary
In Sonnet 118, Shakespeare explores the paradoxical nature of love and human desire, comparing it to the way people seek to maintain their physical health. The poet uses the metaphor of appetite and medicine to illustrate his relationship with the beloved. Just as people consume strong flavors to sharpen their appetite or take purgatives to prevent unseen illnesses, he metaphorically indulges in bitterness to counteract the overwhelming sweetness of his lover. However, this preemptive action—seeking alternative experiences to avoid stagnation—proves to be a mistake. His attempt to inoculate himself against potential future suffering results in actual harm, mirroring the way medicine taken unnecessarily can become poison. By the end of the sonnet, the speaker realizes that his actions have led to unintended consequences, acknowledging that his efforts to avoid trouble only created greater suffering.
Critical Analysis
This sonnet belongs to Shakespeare’s sequence addressed to the Fair Youth and delves into the self-destructive tendencies of love. The poet’s metaphor of appetite and purging suggests a restless desire to maintain intensity in a relationship. The speaker, seemingly content with the beloved’s “ne’er-cloying sweetness,” still feels the need to seek contrast—perhaps through infidelity or emotional detachment. However, this pursuit of variety ultimately leads to harm, symbolizing how lovers often sabotage happiness in an effort to sustain passion.
Shakespeare presents a paradox: attempting to prevent love from growing stale by introducing artificial bitterness only corrupts the purity of the relationship. The idea of love as something that must be regulated, like health, reflects the Renaissance concern with balance in all aspects of life. The sonnet suggests that overindulgence in goodness (love) can, paradoxically, lead to the need for an artificial remedy, which turns out to be worse than the original “problem.” The final couplet delivers the speaker’s regretful realization—his actions, meant to prevent harm, have backfired, and he has poisoned himself through his choices.
The poem aligns with other sonnets in the Fair Youth sequence that explore themes of infidelity, restlessness, and self-inflicted emotional pain. It reflects Shakespeare’s ongoing meditation on human nature’s inability to simply accept joy without seeking change or contrast.
Theme Analysis
- The Paradox of Love and Desire
- The sonnet explores how love, even when fulfilling, can lead to self-destructive behaviors. The poet suggests that humans struggle with constancy in affection, craving contrast even at the expense of their happiness.
- The Dangers of Overindulgence
- The speaker compares love to an overly rich diet that requires a bitter counterbalance. This reflects the idea that too much pleasure can lead to dissatisfaction, a common theme in Shakespeare’s works.
- Self-Inflicted Suffering
- The speaker’s attempt to preemptively “cure” a problem that does not exist only causes real harm. This highlights how human efforts to control emotions or relationships can backfire, leading to unnecessary pain.
- The Inevitability of Regret
- The concluding couplet suggests that the speaker now realizes his mistake, reinforcing the theme of regret in love. The lesson learned is that meddling with the natural course of affection often results in unintended consequences.
Literary Devices
- Metaphor
- The entire sonnet is built around an extended metaphor comparing love to appetite and medicine.
- “With eager compounds we our palate urge” – Just as we consume sharp-tasting foods to enhance our appetite, we seek novelty in love.
- “Drugs poison him that so fell sick of you” – The metaphor culminates in the idea that unnecessary “medicine” (infidelity or emotional detachment) can become toxic.
- Antithesis (Contrasting Ideas)
- The poem frequently juxtaposes opposites to emphasize its central paradox:
- “Sick of welfare” – The idea that too much well-being makes one crave illness.
- “Rank of goodness” – Goodness can become excessive, requiring “ill” to cure it.
- Personification
- The poem treats “policy in love” as a force capable of growing into assured faults, giving an abstract concept human qualities.
- Alliteration
- The sonnet employs repetition of consonant sounds for emphasis:
- “Sick of welfare, found a kind of meetness / To be diseas’d” – The repeated ‘s’ sound mimics the hissing of sickness or regret.
- Irony
- The greatest irony of the poem is that the speaker’s attempt to avoid suffering leads to it. His effort to make love more sustainable by introducing bitterness ultimately causes real damage.
Conclusion
Sonnet 118 is a meditation on the self-sabotaging nature of love and desire. Shakespeare uses the metaphor of appetite and medicine to illustrate how humans, even when content, seek contrast, often to their detriment. The speaker’s regret in the final couplet underscores the theme that attempts to artificially regulate love can lead to unintended harm. The sonnet offers a timeless reflection on the paradoxes of human relationships—how even in love, we often act against our best interests.
