Sonnet 29- Elizabeth Barret Browning Flashcards
What is it about?
A woman expresses her uncontrollable obsession with thoughts of her lover. Tree metaphor represents their growing love. They realise it is better to be physically present rather than thinking about him
“I think of thee! my thoughts do twine and bud”
Extended metaphor
He is a tree and her thoughts are a vine
“Wild vines”
She yearns for him
Vines are usually an obstacle- when they shatter they can finally be together
“O my palm tree”
‘my’- dependency on each other
‘palm tree’- biblical reference suggests a timeless nature to their relationship
“Rustle thy boughs and set thy trunk all bare”
She wants to know him better sexually
“Burst, shattered, everywhere!”
Sexual, exclamative
Intense emotions are fierce and excited
“My thoughts do twine and bud”
sexual imagery
‘bud’ has connotations of female genitalia
Form and structure
Sonnet form but volta is earlier which suggests her passion and impatience
Iambic pentameter breaks which shows desperation
Archaic language symbolises that love is timeless
Her love is so overwhelming that she loses control of not just herself but her poetic form
