Sonnet 43 Flashcards
Context on the poem
Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote this poem as part of a series for her future husband
She had a troubled life with illness, making her love even more profound
The poem follows traditional sonnet themes but ends unconventionally with death
Form
Petrarchan sonnet: Follows a specific rhyme scheme
Iambic pentameter: Disrupted by pauses and repetition, making the speaker sound more passionate
First-person narration: Adds a personal and intimate feel
Structure
Caesura: Adds a confident and intense tone
Enjambment: Reflects the depth of passion and the continuity of love
The octave (first 8 lines): Introduces the intensity and divinity of her love
The sestet (final 6 lines): Expresses lifelong devotion and love beyond death
Summary of the poem
The speaker counts the different ways she loves her partner
Love is intense, passionate, and spiritual
She views love as sacred and eternal
Love is so strong that it will continue even after death
Language
Religous imagery: Suggests love has meaning and is spiratually right
Hyperbole: Exaggerates the scale and strength of her love
Love is mentioned 10 times: Reinforces its power and significance
Paradox: Connects love and death, showing her love is eternal
Mood
Unselfish love: The speaker asks for nothing in return
Love is pure and infinite
Hyperbolic devotion: Suggests her love is ceaseless
Calm and effortless tone: Suggests love is a natural part of her life
Key Quotes
I love thee to the depth and depth and height
- Hyperbole - devotion
- Repition of ‘and’ - passsion and excitement
- semantic feel of measurement - her love cannot be measured
By sun and candlelight
- symbol of day to light - constant love
- Calm and effortless
- he is the light guiding her
I shall love thee better adter death
- Untraditional ending to a love poem
- there love is eternal - pure
- paradox connecting love & death - infinite love
