In Sonnet 17, the central idea is the complex and paradoxical nature of love. The speaker expresses the conflicting emotions and experiences that accompany being in love. They describe how love can bring both joy and pain, pleasure and sorrow, and how it can make one feel both exalted and diminished at the same time. Love is portrayed as a force that can both strengthen and weaken, both give life and cause pain.
Throughout the sonnet, the speaker explores the contradictions and dualities of love, capturing its bittersweet nature and the intense emotions it evokes. Love is seen as a transformative power that changes the individual and challenges their sense of self and identity.
Ultimately, Sonnet 17 portrays love as a powerful and multifaceted emotion that defies easy definition or resolution.