Sonnet 43 (been In Exam Before) - Elizabeth Barrett Browning Flashcards
1
Q
Possible themes
A
- love
- women
- awe/amazement
- relationships
2
Q
Who is the poem dedicated to
A
Robert browning (husband)
3
Q
Analyse ‘how do i love thee? Let me count the ways!’
A
- ‘how do i love thee?’ = rhetorical - asking how she can prove/express all her love , maybe conversation between lovers
- ‘i’ = singular pronoun - she can choose who she loves , in control
- ‘love’ = repetition , abstract noun - shows her dedication to her lover
- playful, lighthearted
4
Q
Analyse ‘I love thee to the depth and breadth and height’
A
- ‘Depth and breadth and height’ = aspirant alliteration, syndetic list/triple - emphasises shes trying to fully define her love
5
Q
Analyse ‘Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight’
A
- ‘quiet’ = adjective - contentment
- ‘sun and candlelight’ = collocation, enjambment - love is continuous - never ending , light = warmth/comfort, a guiding light
- ‘sun’ = image - he’s her life source, she cant live without him
- ‘candlelight’ = image - lights up her dark thoughts
6
Q
Analyse ‘I love thee with the passsion put to use’
A
- ‘love’ - reflects devotion
- ‘passion put’ = plosives alliteration - emphasises force of her love
7
Q
Analyse ‘I shall but love thee better after death’
A
- shows eternity, salvation after life
- asserts idea that if god controls her future, she hopes she’ll be reunited with him after life
- her eternal love is a commitment she is willing to promise
8
Q
Structure
A
- sonnet + regular rhyme scheme - feels content/calm
- written with iambic pentameter = 5 stressed syllables 5 unstressed syllables per line - shows her love/passion
- autobiographical
9
Q
Context
A
- lived a lonely life until 40 when she met Robert
- after they married her father abandoned her
- Victorian poet
- father was a slave owner but she campaigned for the abolishment o slavery 1833
- controlling father - convinced her she was ill - he profited off her
- secretly married robert
