Poetry Anthology - Sonnet 43

Question 1

Key themes

Answer 1

Love
Religion
Strong feelings

Question 2

Key quotes (6)

Answer 2

‘Love’
‘’How do I love thee?’
‘’I love thee to the depth and breadth and height’
‘Sun and candlelight’
‘I love thee with a love I seemed to lose’
‘I shall but love thee better after death’

Question 3

Structure

Answer 3

Sonnet form (14 lines)
Iambic pentameter - regular rhyme scheme conveys steady, enduring nature of her love
Anaphora of ‘love’ amplifies her feelings

Question 4

Analyse ‘love’

Answer 4

Anaphora throughout the poem of ‘love’
Amplifies her feelings

Question 5

Analyse ‘How do I love thee?’

Answer 5

Opens with a question
Sets a conversational, reflective tone
Uncertainty at the start contrasts with the confidence in her love at the end

Question 6

Analyse ‘I love thee to the depth and breadth and height’

Answer 6

Syndetic listing
Emphasises the vastness of her love
Suggests her love has no limits

Question 7

Analyse ‘sun and candlelight’

Answer 7

Together they span the length of an entire day
Suggests there love is ever present
‘Sun’ amplifies the power of their love
‘Candlelight’ has connotations of warmth and comfort

Question 8

Analyse ‘I love thee with a love I seemed to lose’

Answer 8

Suggests he has brought back her faith and believe
Exaggerates the power of their love

Question 9

Analyse ‘I shall but love thee better after death’

Answer 9

Believes their love is eternal (reflects Christian ideas)
Suggests that their love is so strong, not even death can break it

Question 10

Context

Answer 10

Her brother died and she stopped going out - grieving, vulnerability
Married late in life in secret
Strong Christian
Very ill for most of her life