Sonnet 43 - Context Flashcards
1
Q
Who was Sonnet 43 written by?
A
Elizabeth Barrett-Browning
2
Q
When was the poem written?
A
- series of poems published in 1850 - 43rd out of 44
- to Robert Browning - a reputable Victorian writer
3
Q
Elizabeth Barrett-Browning
A
- born 1806 - died 1861
- wealthy family, father owned plantations in Jamaica
- devoutly Christian -> VERY RELIGIOUS
- ill and frail for most of her life - the medication she took resulted in her wild imagination - romance revitalised her
- many family deaths and difficult family relationships, father was controlling, eloped
- writing sonnets - like how Robert wrote letters to her secretly in the 1840s - communicated in secret - eloped and moved to Italy as father didn’t approve
4
Q
Sonnet
A
- Petrarchan
- elevation of Robert
- octet and sestet with alternate rhyme
- love poem
- 14 lines
- iambic pentameter - 10 syllables per line, written as five lots of (de-DUM) - mirrors heartbeat and rhythm of normal speech
- OCTET - introduces an idea/ a problem
- VOLTA - between 8th and 9th lines and rhyme scheme and line of argument are different after it
- SESTET - solves the problem set out in the octet or otherwise comments on the idea
- follows a set rhyme scheme - ABBA ABBA CDCDCD - or a variation of it
5
Q
What is the poem about?
A
- the narrator expresses her intense love for her lover, counting all the different ways in which she loves him
- she loves him so deeply that she sees their love as spiritual and sacred
- her love is so great that she believes she will love him even after death
6
Q
What themes are explored in the poem?
A
- love and relationships
- faith and worship
