Sonnet 43 (Elizabeth Barret Browning) Flashcards
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” B
rhetorical q + hypophora - certainty, desire to articulate feelings, exploration of love
Imperative - let me count-
earnest attempt to quantify her immeasurable love, assertive
‘ways’ -plural, love is expansive
(engages w initmate tone, central theme of infinitel love)
“I love thee to the depth and breadth and height” b
anaphora- I love thee - love cannot be contained, spilling over in emotion
spatial imagery, triadic structure, polysyndetic list & hyperbole - love as vast & encompassing force, emphasises magnitude, expansive & uncontainable
(love as transcendent and limitless, reinforce eternal qualities)
“My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight” b
metaphor - soul reaching - conveys spiritual nature of love, transcends physical boundaries
out of sight - faith and belief in something unseen, her love is strong
(Elevate love to divine level, faith and devotion)
“I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;” m
adverb “freely” - love given without constraint, comparison to ‘men strive for right’ likens it to moral goodness and integrity
Right - capitalised, suggest righteousness, love isn’t selfish
( purity & righteousness of speaker’s love, aligning it with noble ideals)
“I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.” M
purely/freely - underscores sincerity of speaker’s emotion
Contrast w Praise - humility and selflessness in her love
untainted and virtuous nature of her devotion
“In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.” M
old griefs - acknowledge past pain, now transformed into strength thru love
childhoods faith - Juxtaposition, innocence & unwavering belief
(Suggests love redeems past suffering, embodying vulnerability & hope)
“I love thee with a love I seemed to lose with my lost saints’ e
unwavering love
caesura line12/13 - connote disconnection w god, juxtaposition w her love, he has helped her reconnect w faith
love she has is paralleled w god
alliteration love and lose - emphasises intensity of emotions
“I love thee with the breath, smiles, tears, of all my life!” E
tricolon - encapsulates totality of human experience, emphasising wholehearted devotion
exclamation - reinforces intensity of emotions
“If God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.” E
conditional phrase - if god choose- subordinates herself to god’s will, idea that her love of god is part of her love for browning, any earthly imperfection will be corrected after death
Superlative ‘better’- love will grow stronger in the afterlife
future tense - loves has grown with time & continues to grow
transcendental, continue into next life, immortalised in the poem
What is the context of “Sonnet 43”?
part of her “Sonnets from the Portuguese”, inspired by her love for Robert Browning.
- lost her mother & brother, father didn’t approve of marriage, addicted to morphine & had disease
she had many hardships
Victorian era - time for transformations in society
How do structure and form contribute to “Sonnet 43”?
Form -A Petrarchan sonnet with an ABBA ABBA CDCDCD rhyme scheme - usually focused on male desire, she subverts tradition & reclaims sonnet form with female voice - female desire
Structure - octet depth of speakers love, sestet elevates to divine & eternal love
Structured form mirrors enduring nature of love & unwavering
What does the title “Sonnet 43” signify?
deliberately understated, reflecting the humility of the speaker
part of sequence, exploration of love
What are some possible exam questions and themes for “Sonnet 43”?
Eternal love, devotion
faith and spirituality
love as redemption or transformation
