Sonnet 43: How Do I Love Thee? Flashcards
What literary device is established with the phrase ‘I love thee’?
Anaphoric repetition serves as a refrain throughout the sonnet.
What does ‘Let me count the ways’ suggest?
It implies a structured listing of love’s dimensions, attempting to measure the immeasurable.
What is the significance of ‘depth and breadth and height’?
It utilizes a tricolon and spatial metaphor to evoke the vastness of love.
How is the soul depicted in lines 3-4?
The soul is personified as reaching beyond perceptible reality.
What do the terms ‘Being’ and ‘Grace’ suggest?
They indicate an ontological or theological profundity linked to Platonic Idealism.
What contrast is presented in lines 5-6?
There is a contrast between transcendence and domesticity in love.
What does the juxtaposition of ‘sun and candle-light’ convey?
It reinforces love’s constancy throughout time.
What literary technique is used in lines 7-8?
Parallelistic syntax aligns love with moral integrity.
What does the simile ‘as men strive for Right’ imply?
It suggests love is intentional, virtuous, and active.
What is the significance of the antithesis in ‘freely’ vs. ‘purely’?
It reinforces love’s uncompromised moral worth.
How is suffering reappropriated in lines 9-10?
Past sorrow is redirected into love, suggesting love as redemption.
What does the juxtaposition of ‘griefs’ and ‘childhood’s faith’ represent?
It aligns love with innocence and unwavering devotion.
What does ‘lost saints’ imply in lines 11-12?
It suggests a spiritual transference from lost faith to earthly love.
What tone is created by the phrase ‘love I seemed to lose’?
It adds a layer of melancholy to the declaration.
What does the zeugma of ‘smiles, tears’ suggest?
It indicates that love encompasses the entire human experience.
What does ‘if God choose’ imply about love?
It suggests love will persist beyond earthly existence.
What era was Sonnet 43 written in?
The poem was written in the Victorian era, a time when women were expected to be submissive in marriage and had limited legal rights.
How did Elizabeth Barrett Browning defy traditional expectations?
She was a highly educated and independent woman who engaged in a romantic and intellectual relationship with Robert Browning.
What does Sonnet 43 assert about female agency?
It makes a radical declaration of a woman’s love on her own terms.
How does Sonnet 43 challenge patriarchal ideas?
Unlike many traditional love poems written by men, this sonnet gives a woman a voice, making her the subject rather than the object of love.
What political views did the Brownings hold?
Both Elizabeth and Robert Browning held liberal political views, opposing slavery and advocating for social justice.
What is the significance of love in the poem?
The idea of love as a moral and spiritual force aligns with their belief in progress and human dignity.
What was Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s economic background?
She came from a wealthy family with plantation wealth in the Caribbean but rejected her inheritance due to her opposition to slavery.
How did Elizabeth’s social status affect her independence?
Her social status allowed her access to education and literary influence, but she was financially dependent on her father.
What did Elizabeth’s secret marriage to Robert Browning signify?
Her disinheritance demonstrated her commitment to love over economic security.
How did the literary market change by the mid-19th century?
Poetry became increasingly commercialized, and women writers gained financial independence through publishing.
What was the impact of Sonnets from the Portuguese?
It became hugely popular, contributing to Elizabeth’s reputation as one of the most successful female poets of the era.
What Christian ideals are present in Sonnet 43?
The poem draws on Christian concepts of divine love, likening romantic love to moral purity, faith, and devotion.
How does the speaker express her love in relation to faith?
The speaker expresses love ‘with my childhood’s faith’, showing how her religious devotion has been transferred to love.
What marked the Victorian period regarding religious belief?
It was marked by increasing religious doubt, especially with the rise of scientific discoveries.
How does Barrett Browning view love in relation to spirituality?
She presents love as a force that transcends death and connects to the divine.
What do the closing lines of Sonnet 43 suggest?
They suggest a belief in love’s continuity beyond mortality, aligning with Christian notions of the afterlife.
What was the societal view of marriage in the 19th century?
Marriages were often arranged for economic or social reasons, rather than love.
How does Sonnet 43 present love?
It presents an idealized view of love as pure, selfless, and transcendent.
What personal significance does the poem hold for Barrett Browning?
Her own love story, defying her father’s control and secretly marrying Robert Browning, made this poem particularly personal.
How does Barrett Browning challenge emotional expression norms?
By openly expressing her emotions, she challenges the stereotype of the passive, silent woman.
What health struggles did Elizabeth Barrett Browning face?
She suffered from chronic illness and frailty, which kept her bedridden for much of her early life.
How did her love for Robert Browning affect her?
Her love revitalized her, becoming a source of healing and joy reflected in the poem’s emotional depth.
What was the nature of Elizabeth’s romance with Robert Browning?
It was a secret romance, as her father forbade all his children from marrying.
What themes are present in Sonnet 43 regarding suffering?
Barrett Browning saw love as redemptive and transformative, making the sonnet about love’s power to uplift the human spirit.
What is the structure of Sonnet 43?
It follows the Petrarchan sonnet form, consisting of an octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines).
How does the sonnet structure affect its content?
It allows for a progression of thought from the enumeration of love’s expressions to a philosophical conclusion.
What Romantic ideals are reflected in the poem?
The poem emphasizes deep emotions, personal experience, and idealized love.
How does Barrett Browning use repetition in Sonnet 43?
The repeated phrase ‘I love thee’ reinforces the intensity and endurance of love.
What effect does the rhetorical question in the opening line create?
It engages the reader, making the poem feel both intimate and universal.
What is the lasting influence of Sonnet 43?
It remains one of the most quoted love poems, often read at weddings and anniversaries.
How has Sonnet 43 influenced modern love poetry?
It reinforces the idea that true love is beyond physical attraction—it is spiritual, moral, and eternal.
