Sonnet 29 : 'I think of thee' - Elizabeth Barrette Browning Flashcards
Sonnet 29 : ‘I think of thee’
The poem describes a sexual desire but also emotional longing to be with the speaker’s loved one.
In fact, the poem came from a set of poem written by Elizabeth Barrett to Robert Browning that were originally private. He encouraged her to publish them in the ‘Sonnet from the Portuguese’. In life, her longing for Browning, despite her father’s objection to the relationship, was fulfilled when she eventually married Browning.
General Context
- Barrett-Browning was brought up in a strongly Christian household, and much of her poetry reflects her christian belief.
- Her father opposed their relationship and it was difficult to meet, so she had to express her feelings and thoughts in poetic form.
- They married and moved to Italy in 1846, as the climate was considered better fro Elizabeth’s frail health. Her father disowned her for marrying Robert, whom he considered as of a lower class.
‘as wild vine’
L - simile
The speaker compares her thoughts to vine as her thoughts revolve around him.
I - it may also implies that she cannot control her thoughts as they are wild.
C - this may be an extended metaphor representing women in Victorian England who were seen as dependent on men while tree implies how men were expected to be strong and supportive.
‘twine and bud about thee’
L - verb
It is cerebral, meaning her thoughts revolve around him.
I - it may also suggest that she wants to physically wrap herself around him.
‘my palm tree’
L - possessive pronoun
The speaker is possessive of him, thinks that they belong together.
L - metaphor
She compares him to a palm tree as it has broad leaves, just like him offering protection to her.
C - Christians associate Palm Sunday draws upon Barrett-Browning’s Christian beliefs. Perhaps she worships him, just as followers worship Jesus.
‘who art dearer, better!’
L - exclamatory sentence
L - comparative adjectives
the caesura, with the comparative adjectives, conveys her impatient desire to have him physically there as the reality is better than the man in her thoughts.
‘instantly renew thy presence’
L - adverb
The speaker urges to see him physically, suggesting that she is impatient.
‘set thy trunk all bare’
L - imagery
This is a subtle way to express the speaker’s sexual desire for him as it was seen as unconventional for a woman to express their sexual desire in Victorian England.
‘bands and greenery…burst, shattered’
L - verbs
The speaker wants him to break free from her thoughts and appear in reality.
‘breathe within thy shadow a new air’
It could reflect how Barrett-browning felt suffocated by her controlling father who opposed her relationship with Robert Browning and her desire to be with him freely as she feels refreshed in his company.
A Petrarchan sonnet
Traditionally, in a Petrarchan sonnet, the octet presents a problem or situation, which is resolved in the sestet.
Usually, there is a Volta at the beginning of the sestet, signifying the change of tone.
However, the Volta comes before the sestet which might suggests how the speaker is impatient and excited to see him.
The enjambment in the first four lines
It is like the vine growing around the tree, representing her continuous thoughts about him.
Rhyme Scheme : abbaabba cbcbcb
The abba rhyme scheme changes to the alternating cb rhyme scheme in the sestet, showing her desire to be physically closer to him.
repetition of ‘thee’
Emphasises how she cannot stop thinking about him.
Reader Response
Enables the reader to understand how it feels to be in love and to be desperate to be in the physical presence of your lover and to be obsessed with thinking about them.
