sonnet 43 Flashcards
what are the themes of sonnet 43
power, love, man and religion
“How do I love thee?”
Rhetorical question – Opening the poem with an obvious indication of love.
“depth and breadth and height”
Triplets – showing how much love and how vast it is that it can’t be contained.
“I love thee”
Repetition x 6 – exploring again the idea that love is overwhelming and powerful.
Rhyme Scheme – ABBA ABBA CDCDCD and Sonnet form – love poem
Shows that even the way the poem is written is to explore the idea of how much love she has for him.
“Smiles, tears, of all my life! –“
Triplets – Linking to emotions of happiness.
what is sonnet 43 about?
In this poem, the persona expresses her intense love for her lover, counting all the
different ways she loves him. She loves him so deeply that she sees their love as spiritual and
sacred. She offers her love freely and without restraint, and at times with a deeply felt passion that
she refers to as if was a replacement for her childhood belief and faith. She feels so strongly, that
she hopes God will see the purity of their love and allow it to survive beyond death.
