Sonnet 94: They that have power to hurt and will do none by William Shakespeare

Full Text

They that have power to hurt and will do none,
That do not do the thing they most do show,
Who, moving others, are themselves as stone,
Unmoved, cold, and to temptation slow,
They rightly do inherit heaven's graces
And husband nature's riches from expense;
They are the lords and owners of their faces,
Others but stewards of their excellence.
The summer's flower is to the summer sweet,
Though to itself it only live and die,
But if that flower with base infection meet,
The basest weed outbraves his dignity:
For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds;
Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds.

Overview

Sonnet 94 is Shakespeare's most ambiguous poem—is it praising self-control or criticizing coldness? Those who "have power to hurt and will do none" seem admirable, yet they're "stone," "unmoved, cold." The sestet's infected lily suggests corruption beneath restraint. The famous last line damns more than it praises.

Line-by-Line Analysis

Lines 1-4

Power without action, show without deed, moving others while staying stone. Admirable restraint or emotional deadness?

Lines 5-8

They "inherit heaven's graces," own their faces. Others are mere "stewards." High praise—or is it?

Lines 9-12

The flower lives for itself, yet "base infection" corrupts it. External beauty hides internal rot.

Lines 13-14

"Sweetest things turn sourest"—corruption is worst in the best. Festering lilies stink more than weeds.

Themes

• Power and restraint
• Coldness vs. virtue
• Corruption of the beautiful
• Ambiguity of praise

Literary Devices

Irony

The entire poem — Apparent praise gradually reveals critique.

Aphorism

Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds — Proverbial wisdom that inverts the praise.

Historical Context

Among the most debated sonnets. May address the Fair Youth's emotional coldness or a political figure. The lily/weed line also appears in Edward III.