Poem Analysis - Sonnet 90 Then Hate Me When Thou Wilt If Ever Now

A Plea for Swift and Decisive Heartbreak

Shakespeare's Sonnet 90 is a passionate and somewhat desperate plea from a speaker anticipating the end of a relationship. The poem is marked by a tone of impending doom, transitioning from a resigned acceptance of loss to a yearning for a decisive, upfront blow rather than a slow, drawn-out agony. The speaker, facing a world already conspiring against him, implores his lover to deliver the final blow swiftly and completely.

The Crushing Weight of Fortune

One of the central themes of the poem is the power of fortune, personified as a force actively working against the speaker. The lines "Now, while the world is bent my deeds to cross, / Join with the spite of fortune, make me bow," illustrate a sense of being overwhelmed by external forces. This theme underscores the speaker's vulnerability and highlights the idea that the end of the relationship is not simply a matter of personal incompatibility but part of a larger pattern of misfortune. The speaker sees himself as already defeated by fate, and the lover's departure is just another, albeit devastating, blow in a series of misfortunes.

The Pain of Delay and Lingering Sorrow

The theme of suffering is explored through the speaker's fear of prolonged heartbreak. He implores his lover, "Ah, do not, when my heart hath ‘scaped this sorrow, / Come in the rearward of a conquered woe; / Give not a windy night a rainy morrow, / To linger out a purposed overthrow." This expresses a deep dread of the constant drip-drip-drip of minor losses after a major one. The imagery of a "windy night" followed by a "rainy morrow" vividly portrays the idea that a drawn-out ending, punctuated by smaller, lingering pains, is far more unbearable than a clean break.

The Comparative Nature of Grief

The poem also touches upon the theme of perspective in grief. The speaker argues that immediate and decisive loss will somehow diminish the impact of future hardships. "But in the onset come; so shall I taste / At first the very worst of fortune’s might, / And other strains of woe, which now seem woe, / Compared with loss of thee will not seem so." Here, the speaker posits that the pain of losing his lover will be so intense that it will overshadow all other forms of suffering. There's a bleak hope that the magnitude of this one loss will inoculate him against the sting of lesser misfortunes. Perhaps this is a form of bargaining with fate or a desperate attempt to find some solace in the midst of despair.

Images of Overthrow and Despair

The poem uses strong imagery to convey the speaker's sense of being overwhelmed. The phrases "make me bow" and "a purposed overthrow" paint a picture of complete and utter defeat. The comparison of the lover leaving to a "rainy morrow" after a "windy night" creates a vivid image of lingering sorrow that emphasizes the speaker's desire for a swift and decisive end. These images work together to convey the depth of the speaker’s despair and the magnitude of the anticipated loss.

A Sonnet of Strategic Surrender

In conclusion, Sonnet 90 is a complex exploration of love, loss, and the human response to suffering. It is a plea for a swift and decisive heartbreak, born from a deep fear of prolonged agony. The poem reveals the speaker's vulnerability, his sense of being overwhelmed by fortune, and his surprising hope that facing the worst loss imaginable will somehow diminish the impact of future pain. The poem's enduring significance lies in its raw and honest portrayal of the desperate measures we sometimes contemplate when facing the inevitable end of a cherished relationship.