A service beyond all recompense
Weighs so heavy that it almost gives offense.

The couplet expresses a paradox of obligation: a favor or “service” so great that it cannot be repaid becomes psychologically burdensome to the recipient. Instead of gratitude alone, it can produce discomfort, resentment, or a sense of humiliation, because the imbalance of debt and power is too stark. Corneille’s drama often turns on honor, duty, and the social economy of gifts and obligations; in that world, an unreciprocable benefit can feel like a kind of domination. The lines suggest that generosity is not automatically benign—when it exceeds the recipient’s capacity to respond, it may “give offense” by imposing an enduring, unequal bond.