Sonnet 43: How Do I Love Thee?

Question 1

What literary device is established with the phrase ‘I love thee’?

Answer 1

Anaphoric repetition serves as a refrain throughout the sonnet.

Question 2

What does ‘Let me count the ways’ suggest?

Answer 2

It implies a structured listing of love’s dimensions, attempting to measure the immeasurable.

Question 3

What is the significance of ‘depth and breadth and height’?

Answer 3

It utilizes a tricolon and spatial metaphor to evoke the vastness of love.

Question 4

How is the soul depicted in lines 3-4?

Answer 4

The soul is personified as reaching beyond perceptible reality.

Question 5

What do the terms ‘Being’ and ‘Grace’ suggest?

Answer 5

They indicate an ontological or theological profundity linked to Platonic Idealism.

Question 6

What contrast is presented in lines 5-6?

Answer 6

There is a contrast between transcendence and domesticity in love.

Question 7

What does the juxtaposition of ‘sun and candle-light’ convey?

Answer 7

It reinforces love’s constancy throughout time.

Question 8

What literary technique is used in lines 7-8?

Answer 8

Parallelistic syntax aligns love with moral integrity.

Question 9

What does the simile ‘as men strive for Right’ imply?

Answer 9

It suggests love is intentional, virtuous, and active.

Question 10

What is the significance of the antithesis in ‘freely’ vs. ‘purely’?

Answer 10

It reinforces love’s uncompromised moral worth.

Question 11

How is suffering reappropriated in lines 9-10?

Answer 11

Past sorrow is redirected into love, suggesting love as redemption.

Question 12

What does the juxtaposition of ‘griefs’ and ‘childhood’s faith’ represent?

Answer 12

It aligns love with innocence and unwavering devotion.

Question 13

What does ‘lost saints’ imply in lines 11-12?

Answer 13

It suggests a spiritual transference from lost faith to earthly love.

Question 14

What tone is created by the phrase ‘love I seemed to lose’?

Answer 14

It adds a layer of melancholy to the declaration.

Question 15

What does the zeugma of ‘smiles, tears’ suggest?

Answer 15

It indicates that love encompasses the entire human experience.

Question 16

What does ‘if God choose’ imply about love?

Answer 16

It suggests love will persist beyond earthly existence.

Question 17

What era was Sonnet 43 written in?

Answer 17

The poem was written in the Victorian era, a time when women were expected to be submissive in marriage and had limited legal rights.

Question 18

How did Elizabeth Barrett Browning defy traditional expectations?

Answer 18

She was a highly educated and independent woman who engaged in a romantic and intellectual relationship with Robert Browning.

Question 19

What does Sonnet 43 assert about female agency?

Answer 19

It makes a radical declaration of a woman’s love on her own terms.

Question 20

How does Sonnet 43 challenge patriarchal ideas?

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

What political views did the Brownings hold?

Answer 21

Both Elizabeth and Robert Browning held liberal political views, opposing slavery and advocating for social justice.

Question 22

What is the significance of love in the poem?

Answer 22

The idea of love as a moral and spiritual force aligns with their belief in progress and human dignity.

Question 23

What was Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s economic background?

Answer 23

She came from a wealthy family with plantation wealth in the Caribbean but rejected her inheritance due to her opposition to slavery.

Question 24

How did Elizabeth’s social status affect her independence?

Answer 24

Her social status allowed her access to education and literary influence, but she was financially dependent on her father.

Question 25

What did Elizabeth's secret marriage to Robert Browning signify?

Answer 25

Her disinheritance demonstrated her commitment to love over economic security.

Question 26

How did the literary market change by the mid-19th century?

Answer 26

Poetry became increasingly commercialized, and women writers gained financial independence through publishing.

Question 27

What was the impact of Sonnets from the Portuguese?

Answer 27

It became hugely popular, contributing to Elizabeth’s reputation as one of the most successful female poets of the era.

Question 28

What Christian ideals are present in Sonnet 43?

Answer 28

The poem draws on Christian concepts of divine love, likening romantic love to moral purity, faith, and devotion.

Question 29

How does the speaker express her love in relation to faith?

Answer 29

The speaker expresses love 'with my childhood’s faith', showing how her religious devotion has been transferred to love.

Question 30

What marked the Victorian period regarding religious belief?

Answer 30

It was marked by increasing religious doubt, especially with the rise of scientific discoveries.

Question 31

How does Barrett Browning view love in relation to spirituality?

Answer 31

She presents love as a force that transcends death and connects to the divine.

Question 32

What do the closing lines of Sonnet 43 suggest?

Answer 32

They suggest a belief in love’s continuity beyond mortality, aligning with Christian notions of the afterlife.

Question 33

What was the societal view of marriage in the 19th century?

Answer 33

Marriages were often arranged for economic or social reasons, rather than love.

Question 34

How does Sonnet 43 present love?

Answer 34

It presents an idealized view of love as pure, selfless, and transcendent.

Question 35

What personal significance does the poem hold for Barrett Browning?

Answer 35

Her own love story, defying her father’s control and secretly marrying Robert Browning, made this poem particularly personal.

Question 36

How does Barrett Browning challenge emotional expression norms?

Answer 36

By openly expressing her emotions, she challenges the stereotype of the passive, silent woman.

Question 37

What health struggles did Elizabeth Barrett Browning face?

Answer 37

She suffered from chronic illness and frailty, which kept her bedridden for much of her early life.

Question 38

How did her love for Robert Browning affect her?

Answer 38

Her love revitalized her, becoming a source of healing and joy reflected in the poem’s emotional depth.

Question 39

What was the nature of Elizabeth's romance with Robert Browning?

Answer 39

It was a secret romance, as her father forbade all his children from marrying.

Question 40

What themes are present in Sonnet 43 regarding suffering?

Answer 40

Barrett Browning saw love as redemptive and transformative, making the sonnet about love’s power to uplift the human spirit.

Question 41

What is the structure of Sonnet 43?

Answer 41

It follows the Petrarchan sonnet form, consisting of an octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines).

Question 42

How does the sonnet structure affect its content?

Answer 42

It allows for a progression of thought from the enumeration of love’s expressions to a philosophical conclusion.

Question 43

What Romantic ideals are reflected in the poem?

Answer 43

The poem emphasizes deep emotions, personal experience, and idealized love.

Question 44

How does Barrett Browning use repetition in Sonnet 43?

Answer 44

The repeated phrase 'I love thee' reinforces the intensity and endurance of love.

Question 45

What effect does the rhetorical question in the opening line create?

Answer 45

It engages the reader, making the poem feel both intimate and universal.

Question 46

What is the lasting influence of Sonnet 43?

Answer 46

It remains one of the most quoted love poems, often read at weddings and anniversaries.

Question 47

How has Sonnet 43 influenced modern love poetry?

Answer 47

It reinforces the idea that true love is beyond physical attraction—it is spiritual, moral, and eternal.