sonnet 43 Flashcards
who wrote Sonnet 43?
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
who did Browning write the poem for?
Robert Barrett Browning
what is the significance of their relationship being secret?
it heightens the passion of their love
what would be shocking about this poem to a Victorian society?
deeply intimate- a prudish Victorian society- especially since they were written by a woman
how does the poem begin?
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”
what person is it written in and what is the significance of this?
1st person- intimate tone
what type of sonnet is this poem?
a petrarchan sonnet
is there iambic pentameter in this poem?
yes
what is the rhyme scheme like in this poem?
strong and specific- sense of certainty and assurance about her love
what rhyme scheme is there in this poem?
ABBA, ABBA, CDCDCD
what is unusual about this sonnet?
a sonnet usually has an octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines) that answers the problem
this poem doesn’t have that- conveys the idea that there love is so perfect there are no problems or discrepancies
“I love thee to the depth…
and breadth and height”- shows the magnitude of their love and sometimes she can’t even see how much she loves him- it is unmatched and out of this world- “when feeling out of sight”
what quote shows their love is spiritual and sacred?
“for the ends of Being and ideal Grace”
why would the line “for the ends of being and ideal grace” be shocking for a Victorian society?
she is comparing her relationship as something of the divine and it alludes to religion which a Victorian, pious society would not have agreed with as nothing can be even remotely close to the Divine
“most quiet need…
by sun and candlelight”- light symbolism- their love is bright and hopeful and optimistic
“in my old griefs…
and with my childhood’s faith”- childhood love- the love she dreamed of when she was a child OR
her love and passion she feels about her lover- she refers to it as if it is a replacement for her childhood beliefs and faith
what is the tone like in the poem?
passionate and direct in tone- only one speaker- no interruption
what do the first 8 lines describe her love as being?
so great that it is almost divine and sacred and spiritual
what are the last 6 lines like??
her love will last an entire lifetime and it will last beyond death and eternally
what does the enjambement in the poem symbolise?
the magnitude of her love- it is expansive and great
what does the exclamatory mode and caesura convey in the poem?
the passion and ecstasy
“Smiles…
tears of all my life!”
“and, if God chose….
I shall but love thee better after death”
what does the final line in the poem mean?
she would still love him after death- their love is never ending and infinite
OR
she prays that God understands the love she feels and she hopes he will allow to me to be together after death and allow their love to survive beyond death
what does the repetition of the “th” sound in line 2 do?
gives the line movement- signifies her love for him is ongoing
what is the use of using basic necessities in line 5?
the simplicity of it all- she needs him as much as she needs other basic necessities in her life
lines 7 and 8?
she doesn’t want praise or attention for her love- she loves him jisy because it is what she wants to do
what is the effect of using 2 similes in lines 7 and 8?
strengthens the tone of love and adoration in the poem
what does the phrase “old griefs” mean in line 10?
she loves him as much as “old griefs”1 she loves him as much as she hates the other things- same level of passion, different emotions
what motif is used in line 13?
religious motif
what is the use of the phrase “lost saints” in line 12?
reference to all the people she once loved and adored in her life- the love she once felt for them she has eventually lost- has been transferred into the love she feels for her husband
what is the significance of line 13?
she loves him with all that she is- breath, smiles and tears
her love for him is so strong/ not even death could destroy it
