This suggests the subject has leisure to be selective in his attentions, and those lucky enough to earn them are blessed, grown wealthy-perhaps literally, as the metaphor suggests the subject is wealthy himself. However, while wealth and money liberate those who possess them, money is also known as "the root of all evil" and brings sorrow as well as joy. Literally, the power of the subject's gaze is to leave objects as if transfigured from base matter into gold; this transformative power recalls the Greek myth of King Midas, who was blessed by the god Dionysus with the gift of turning all he touched into gold, yet regretted this decision once he accidentally transformed his daughter. Like Midas, the subject's station of power over others (financially, politically, physically, emotionally) is graciously bestowed by the Powers That Be, yet causes him much misery, as it earns him problematic interest from men as well as women.
As it is with all paradoxes, it is not easy to completely and accurately imagine someone who is cursed by his blessing, constrained by his power. In his description of the subject as "a man in hue all hues in his controlling" (line 7), Shakespeare examines how double meanings help us envision the subject more accurately. If we interpret "hue" as "color", he suggestion here is that he is a blushing young man who causes others to blush-out of attraction and desire. Or, perhaps, one might read that he is an attractive man of fashion who sets trends into motion. Both readings are not particularly masculine-in Shakespeare's contemporary literature, blushes are often associated with young maidens and their rosy cheeks, while fashion and clothing are womanly pursuits. Yet another interpretation of "hue" puts a twist in the plotline-in Old English, hue (most frequently spelled "hewe") referred to a servant or slave ("Hewe.
