Sonnet 150
O, from what power hast thou this powerful might
obsession
power
desire
fault
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 warrantize 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 raised love in me,
More worthy I to be beloved of thee.
What It Means
How does she have this power? Her faults make her more attractive to him, not less. She makes insufficiency into something compelling. He should hate her and does not. Her worst qualities are more powerful over him than other people's best qualities. He loves her the more the worse she is.
Context
Part of the Dark Lady sequence.
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