# Sonnet 80 explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by William Shakespeare.

## What happens

The poet expresses his inadequacy in praising the beloved compared to a rival poet, yet finds solace in the beloved's vast worth that can accommodate both, even if he himself is wrecked.

## Themes in this chapter

### Truth and Deception

The poet acknowledges the rival's superior skill but remains truthful about his own devotion.

### Love and Desire

The poet's love for the beloved is so profound that it leads to his own ruin.

## Character check-ins

### William Shakespeare

The poet who feels faint and inferior when writing of the beloved.

### Love

The poet's love is cited as the cause of his decay.

## Key lines

> O, how I faint when I of you do write, Knowing a better spirit doth use your name

I feel weak when I write about you, knowing a more talented poet also praises you.

_The poet expresses his sense of inadequacy compared to a rival._

> Then if he thrive and I be cast away, The worst was this; my love was my decay.

If he succeeds and I am lost, the worst outcome is that my love for you caused my downfall.

_The poet accepts that his love, not rivalry, is the source of his potential ruin._

## Links

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