Poetry · Chapter
XC explained
The speaker implores the beloved to hate him now, if ever, while he is already beset by misfortune, rather than adding a final blow after other sorrows have passed.
What happens
The speaker implores the beloved to hate him now, if ever, while he is already beset by misfortune, rather than adding a final blow after other sorrows have passed. He argues that losing the beloved first would make all subsequent griefs seem trivial by comparison.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Desire
The speaker's plea reveals the depth of his emotional dependence on the beloved's affection.
Truth and Deception
The speaker anticipates betrayal and asks for honesty in the timing of rejection.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“Then hate me when thou wilt; if ever, now; Now, while the world is bent my deeds to cross, Join with the spite of fortune, make me bow, And do not drop in for an after-loss”
If you must hate me, do it now while I'm already struggling against the world and fortune, rather than adding a final blow later.
The speaker asks for the beloved's hatred to come at the peak of his troubles, not as a delayed punishment.
“If thou wilt leave me, do not leave me last, When other petty griefs have done their spite, But in the onset come; so shall I taste At first the very worst of fortune's might”
If you plan to abandon me, do it first, before other small sorrows, so I can face the worst of fortune's power right away.
The speaker prefers to endure the greatest loss first, making all subsequent woes seem minor.