Sonnet 43 - Elizabeth Barret Browning Flashcards
Gender of speaker/subject not disclosed - S43
- harder for women to be accepted as poets
- respect privacy as she wasn’t married when she wrote them
Deep love - S43
“I love thee to the level of every day’s” nothing is too mundane when shes with him. Everyday love is appreciated
Despite losing love in the past this is worth it - S43
“In my old griefs” “I love thee with a love I seemed to lose” - she was disowned by her family. He believes in her when nobody else does
She loves him more than is socially acceptable - S43
“I love thee freely, as men strive for Right”
loves him with the intensity of a man who stands for what he believes in - atypical for a woman of the time
Innocent and pure love - S43
“with my childhood’s faith” - childish wonder, what she would have hoped for when she was younger - seemed unrealistic
Divine love - S43
“for the ends of Being and ideal Grace” - he is god-like/an idol to her. Shows she will love him with every part of herself until she dies, connecting him to God as he seems too good to be true
Essence of life - S43
“I love thee with the breath, smiles, tears”
not everyday is perfect but she loves him either way and the imperfect parts are appreciated
Emphasis - S43
“Smiles, tears of all my life! -“
exclamation mark for emphasis and dash for dramatic pause, draws attention to a key aspect of their relationship.
Context - S43
- from ‘sonnets from the portuguese’ about her love for her husband Robert. Title was specifically misleading to not draw attention to their love
- Sonnet writing was mainly for male poets
- My little Portuguese was a pet name for Elizabeth
