How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways: A Journey Through Sonnet 43

Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Sonnet 43 is a timeless masterpiece that has captured the hearts of readers for centuries. Its exploration of romantic love is both passionate and multifaceted, revealing the depth and complexity of the speaker's emotions.

How do I love thee: Love Poetry Journal

by Alta H Mabin

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	9961 KB
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Print length	:	100 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE

The sonnet begins with the famous opening line, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." This rhetorical question sets the stage for the speaker's outpouring of love, which is expressed through a series of vivid and imaginative metaphors.

Structure and Form

Sonnet 43 is a traditional Petrarchan sonnet, consisting of 14 lines divided into an octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines). The octave presents the speaker's question and begins the enumeration of ways she loves her beloved. The sestet shifts the focus to the beloved's response and the speaker's unwavering devotion.

The sonnet's rhyme scheme is ABBA ABBA CDECDE, which creates a sense of unity and coherence. The regular rhythm and rhyme contribute to the sonnet's lyrical quality, making it a pleasure to read aloud.

Imagery and Metaphors

Browning's use of imagery and metaphors is particularly striking in Sonnet 43. She compares her love to a variety of objects and experiences, each of which captures a different aspect of her emotions.

• Depth and Breadth: "I love thee to the depth and breadth and height / My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight"
• Intensity: "I love thee freely, as men strive for right; / I love thee purely, as they turn from praise"
• Devotion: "I love thee with a passion put to use / In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith"
• Eternity: "I love thee with a love I seemed to lose / With my lost saints—I love thee with the breath, / Smiles, tears, of all my life!—and, if God choose, / I shall but love thee better after death"

These metaphors convey the intensity, depth, and multifaceted nature of the speaker's love. They suggest that her love is all-encompassing, consuming her entire being and transcending the boundaries of time and space.

Rhetorical Devices

Browning also employs a variety of rhetorical devices to enhance the impact of her sonnet.

• Anaphora: The repetition of "I love thee" at the beginning of multiple lines creates a sense of urgency and emphasis.
• Antithesis: The contrasting pairs of words and phrases, such as "depth and height," "freely" and "purely," highlight the paradoxical nature of the speaker's love.
• Enjambment: The running over of sentences from one line to the next creates a sense of fluidity and momentum, drawing the reader into the speaker's passionate outpouring.

The Beloved's Response

The sestet of Sonnet 43 shifts the focus from the speaker's love to the beloved's response. The speaker imagines the beloved saying, "I love thee—thee I love." This simple but powerful declaration suggests that the love is mutual and reciprocated.

The speaker's unwavering devotion is evident in the final lines of the sonnet:

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose / With my lost saints—I love thee with the breath, / Smiles, tears, of all my life!—and, if God choose, / I shall but love thee better after death

These lines express the speaker's belief that her love for the beloved will endure beyond the grave. It is a love that is both passionate and eternal, transcending the boundaries of time and mortality.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Sonnet 43 is a profound and moving exploration of romantic love. Through its skillful use of structure, imagery, metaphors, and rhetorical devices, the sonnet captures the depth, intensity, and multifaceted nature of the speaker's emotions.

Sonnet 43 continues to resonate with readers today, offering a timeless meditation on the power and transformative nature of love. It is a sonnet that deserves to be read, reread, and cherished for generations to come.

How do I love thee: Love Poetry Journal

by Alta H Mabin

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	9961 KB
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Print length	:	100 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE