Analysis of How Do I Love Thee

Analysis of How Do I Love Thee
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Analysis of How Do I Love Thee
One of the most popular sonnets by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, ‘How Do I Love Thee’ remains a great example of love poetry. The poet’s previous life and her finding of love undeniably have a great bearing on the contents of the sonnet. Her father’s extreme possessive nature caused her to spend most of her time as a child indoors. She went to poetry as a refuge from her loneliness. When she met Robert Browning, she wrote the sonnet as an expression of her relief from her father’s dominance and dedication to her newfound love. They two went to Italy despite her father’s anger and disinheritance of his daughter. This paper is a discussion of the sonnet as evidence of the breadth and depth of Elizabeth’s adoration for Browning.
The sonnet is made up of fourteen lines. The eight lines which constitute the first part of the sonnet mainly involve an expression of deep love and adoration. Unlike the second part which is made up of six lines, it reflects the events of the present time. The first line comes in an unusual form. While it is a question, the manner in which it is put has the elements of a conversation. There is an attempt by the poet to express her feelings as well as give reasons for her love while trying to find a way in which to define her love best.
In the following three lines, the poet succeeds in her attempts. She clearly shows that her love has no limits. There is no height, breadth or depth it cannot reach (Balouziyeh, 2010). It stretches beyond human feelings and thinking and even nature. Her love for her husband will sustain her existenceб even when heavenly grace and providence fails.
In the fifth to the eighth line, Elizabeth continues to express the need to explain the varying ways in which her love for Browning can be shown. The fifth line informs the reader that her love makes a strong presence even during the silence that prevails between a couple staying together. Also, it is forever present at any time of the day or night. The love is also freely and unconditionally given. She has no desire or need for gratitude for the love. It is a gift, without any trace of ego. In other words, it is a humbly provided love.
The second part of the sonnet – the sestet – begins at the ninth ...