Sonnet 43 Flashcards
1.
Sonnet 43 is written by…
Elizabeth Barret Browning
title
A ‘sonnet’ is usually a love poem – tells the reader that this is a love poem.
‘43’ reminds the reader that this poem is the 43rd sonnet out of 44 that Barrett Browning wrote to Robert Browning during their courtship.
Writing so many sonnets for her eventual husband makes Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s deep and intense feelings of love for him very potent and obvious.
stanza 1-1
lines 1-4
- Repetition of first person pronouns ‘I’/ ‘Me’/ ‘My’ makes the poem seem more intimate and perhaps also autobiographical.
- Browning addresses the object of her love as the second person pronoun ‘thee’ making the poem seem direct and personal. However, the lack of a name or gender makes the poem seem more universal rather than just for Robert Browning (her future husband).
- At the start of the poem, the question ‘How do I love thee?’ establishes the theme of the poem clearly – adverb ‘how’ poses a question forming a conversational tone – creates impression that Robert Browning had previously asked her about her love in a previous letter.
- Browning uses an emphatic list to exaggerate her love – ‘depth and breadth and height’ - Browning has covered each of the three physical dimensions expressing that her love for Roberts extends to the metaphysical extremes - shows the completeness of Barrett Browning’s love for Robert. This is also shown by the repetition of ‘and’ which reflects her excitement and passion.
- Browning uses enjambment towards the middle of the first octet - creates a sense of breathlessness - reflects her passion and intense feelings for Robert - suggests that her love transcends the limitations of poetic form - her love can’t and won’t stop just because the lines have ended.
stanza 1-2
lines 5-8
Browning’s anaphora of ‘I love thee’ could suggest that she is immensely devoted to Robert as she is truly emphasizing her feelings for him which are so strong that she’s practically bursting with love for him.
This may be because Barrett Browning had a difficult relationship with her father who was cold cruel and controlling - Robert may have been the first man in her life a man who truly loved her and that’s something I think she wouldn’t have wanted to have lost.
Browning juxtaposes ‘Sun’ and ‘candlelight’ which stand in for day and night - shows that her love for Robert is all-encompassing - she loves him fully always and with unwavering intensity.
Browning compares her love for Robert to morally righteous behaviour – ‘as men strive for right’, suggesting that her loving him is a good and right thing to do.
stanza 2
lines 9 - 14
‘Old griefs’ suggests the emotions she felt when her mother and brothers died is equal in magnitude to the love that she will feel love for Robert.
‘my lost Saints’ suggests that Browning loves Robert with the same passion that religion gave her as a child – gives the impression that Browning is idolising him.
Browning juxtaposes ‘smiles’ with ‘tears’ - show that her love for Robert is enduring - this mixture of positive and negative emotions also recalls traditional wedding vows.
using Caesarae in the penultimate 2 lines breaks up the rhythm and flow of the poem which could be symbolic of Browning’s excitement and passion which is so intense they cannot be contained or constrained by formal poetic features.
‘I shall but love thee better after death’ - Browning subverts traditional wedding vows by expressing that her love for Robert will remain after she has died.
quotes
lines 1-4
* Repetition of first person pronouns ‘I’/ ‘Me’/ ‘My’
* ‘thee’
* ‘How do I love thee?’
* emphatic list – ‘depth and breadth and height’
* enjambment
lines 5-8
* anaphora of ‘I love thee’
* juxtaposes ‘Sun’ and ‘candlelight’
* ‘as men strive for right’
lines 9- 14
* ‘Old griefs’
* ‘my lost Saints’
* ‘smiles’ with ‘tears’
* Caesarae in the penultimate 2 lines breaks up the rhythm and flow
* ‘I shall but love thee better after death’
