Sonnet 43 - Elizabeth Barret Browning Flashcards
“____ do i ____ ___? let me _____ the ____”
“how do i love thee? let me count the ways”
“i ____ thee to the ____ and _____ and ____”
“i love thee to the depth and breadth and height”
“by ____ and _____”
“by sun and candlelight”
“i ____ thee ____ as ___ strive for ____”
“i love thee freely as men strive for right”
“with my _____ ____”
“with my lost saints”
“____, _____ of all my _____”
“smiles, tears of all my life”
“but i shall ____ ____ better after ____”
“but i shall love thee better after death”
“how do i love thee? let me count the ways” what does this show
“thee” - poem seems universal, her love is intense
“i love thee to the depth and breadth and height” what does this show
shows the scale of her love, repetition of “and” shows her excitement and passion
“by sun and candlelight” what does this show
there is a different side to her love - it’s a calm and constant part of her everyday life too
“i love thee freely as men strive for right” what does this show
she loves him as willingly as people who always try and do the right thing, and as purely and as modest as people who turn away from praise are - her love is morally right
“with my lost saints” what does this show
she loves him with the passion religion gave her as a child, suggests he lover has replaced her faith - she idolises him
“smiles, tears of all my life” what does this show
mixture of emotions shows she loves him with all she has - it all links back to her love for him
“but i shall love thee better after death” what does this show
their love is eternal - it will outlive earth. The speaker hopes God accepts her love, suggests she believes in it’s purity
