# Sonnet CXVIII explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by William Shakespeare.

## What happens

The speaker uses metaphors of appetite and medicinal purging to explain why he sought out bitter experiences in love, having grown sick from too much sweetness. He admits that this preventive strategy backfired, creating real faults where none existed, and concludes that such 'drugs' only poison one who is already sick with love.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Desire

The speaker's love is described as 'ne'er-cloying sweetness,' yet he deliberately seeks bitterness to sharpen his appetite.

### Truth and Deception

The speaker employs 'policy in love'—a deceptive strategy meant to anticipate ills—which only leads to assured faults.

## Character check-ins

### William Shakespeare

The speaker of the sonnet, reflecting on his own misguided strategy in love.

## Key lines

> Like as, to make our appetite more keen, With eager compounds we our palate urge, As, to prevent our maladies unseen, We sicken to shun sickness when we purge

Just as we use sharp flavors to stimulate hunger, or purge ourselves to prevent hidden illness, making ourselves sick to avoid sickness,

_The speaker compares his actions in love to these paradoxical practices._

> Even so, being full of your ne'er-cloying sweetness, To bitter sauces did I frame my feeding

In the same way, because I was satiated with your never-cloying sweetness, I turned to bitter experiences.

_He admits to seeking out bitterness because he was overwhelmed by sweetness._

> Thus policy in love, to anticipate The ills that were not, grew to faults assured

This calculated strategy in love, meant to prevent future problems, actually created certain faults.

_His preventive measure backfired, causing real harm._

> But thence I learn, and find the lesson true, Drugs poison him that so fell sick of you.

From this I learn a true lesson: the remedy poisons the one who is already lovesick for you.

_The speaker concludes that his attempt to cure his love only made things worse._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_28_se/chapters/cxviii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_28_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_28_se/chapters