Love is a sweet tyranny, because the lover endureth his torments willingly.

The proverb frames romantic love as a paradoxical form of domination: it “tyrannizes” by compelling the lover to accept pain, sacrifice, jealousy, or longing. Yet it is “sweet” because the beloved (or the state of being in love) makes those hardships feel meaningful, even chosen. The line suggests that love’s power is not primarily external coercion but voluntary surrender—an inward consent to be ruled by desire and attachment. In that sense, it comments on the psychology of devotion: people often endure what they would otherwise reject because affection transforms suffering into proof of commitment or a pathway to intimacy.