Elizabeth Barrett Browning: Life and Poems
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Questions and Answers

What is the title of the famous poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning?

  • The Love Letters
  • Sonnet 18
  • How Do I Love Thee? (correct)
  • Sonnet 43 (correct)

    • Which American poet was influenced by Elizabeth Barrett Browning?

  • Emily Dickinson (correct)
  • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
  • Edgar Allan Poe
  • Walt Whitman

    • Why did Elizabeth Barrett Browning and her husband have to marry secretly?

  • Because of their different social status
  • Because of their age difference
  • Because of her father's disapproval (correct)
  • Because of their religious differences

    • Where did Elizabeth Barrett Browning and her husband move to after their marriage?

    <p>Italy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    At what age did Elizabeth Barrett Browning die?

    <p>55</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the central theme of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem 'Sonnet 43'?

    <p>Love and devotion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What literary device does Elizabeth Barrett Browning employ in 'Sonnet 43' to describe her love?

    <p>Metaphor</p> Signup and view all the answers

    To whom is the speaker of 'Sonnet 43' likely addressing?

    <p>Her husband, Robert Browning</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the tone of 'Sonnet 43'?

    <p>Passionate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the speaker hope to achieve in 'Sonnet 43'?

    <p>To list all the reasons why she loves her lover</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is notable about Elizabeth Barrett Browning's achievement as a poet?

    <p>She was a renowned poet who achieved acclaim in her lifetime</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of 'Sonnet 43' in the English language?

    <p>It is one of the most famous and recognizable poems in the English language</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the speaker's desire in 'Sonnet 43' beyond her mortal life?

    <p>To love her lover even after death</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main purpose of the poem 'Sonnet 43'?

    <p>To proclaim the speaker's unending passion for her beloved</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the rhyme scheme of 'Sonnet 43'?

    <p>ABBA ABBA CDCD CD</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the implication of the speaker's desire to love her beloved even after death?

    <p>Her love is both spiritual and romantic</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the poem's structure and form?

    <p>It is a traditional sonnet with a fixed rhyme scheme</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the effect of the literary device imagery in the poem?

    <p>It creates images that appeal to or activate the reader's senses</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the meter of the poem 'Sonnet 43'?

    <p>Iambic pentameter</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary theme of death in the poem?

    <p>It is a symbol of the length and durability of the relationship</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the literary device used in the poem to compare two things?

    <p>Simile</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the tone of the poem 'Sonnet 43'?

    <p>Passionate and loving</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the effect of the poem's structure on the reader?

    <p>It creates a sense of anticipation and expectation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the speaker's love for her husband compare to in terms of depth and breadth?

    <p>The boundaries of the human soul</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What literary device does Barrett Browning use in line 2 to convey the idea of ongoing love?

    <p>Consonance</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the speaker's love in everyday life?

    <p>It is as essential as basic necessities of life</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the central idea of the last thirteen lines of the poem?

    <p>To describe the speaker's love for her husband</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the tone of the lines 'I love thee to the level of every day's / Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light'?

    <p>Simple and lovely</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the speaker's love in the poem?

    <p>It is infinite and boundless</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does the speaker's love for her husband compare to the ends of being and ideal grace?

    <p>It is equal to the ends of being and ideal grace</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary way the speaker expresses her love in the poem?

    <p>Through direct statements</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the speaker's love for her husband compare to in terms of its purity?

    <p>The pursuit of right and the rejection of praise</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the speaker's attitude towards her love for her husband?

    <p>She sees it as a natural and necessary part of her life</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the speaker's reference to 'old griefs'?

    <p>It shows the speaker's passion for her husband is equal to her hatred for certain things</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the speaker's comparison of her love to 'the faith of a child'?

    <p>It shows the speaker's love is innocent and pure</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the speaker's reference to 'lost saints'?

    <p>It symbolizes the speaker's past loved ones</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the tone of the lines 'I love thee with the breath, / Smiles, tears, of all my life…'?

    <p>Intimate and personal</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the effect of the speaker's use of similes in the poem?

    <p>It highlights the speaker's emotional intensity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the speaker's love being 'freely' given?

    <p>It emphasizes the speaker's love is selfless and unconditional</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the effect of the speaker's use of religious motifs in the poem?

    <p>It emphasizes the speaker's love is sacred and holy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the speaker's declaration of love in the poem?

    <p>It emphasizes the speaker's devotion and commitment to her husband</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the central idea of the poem's final line?

    <p>The speaker's love will be stronger after death.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the title 'Sonnets From the Portuguese'?

    <p>It is a nickname given to Elizabeth Barrett Browning by her husband.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary characteristic of the speaker's love in the poem?

    <p>It is strong and enduring, even in the face of death.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the nature of the relationship between Elizabeth Barrett Browning and her husband?

    <p>They were a married couple who supported each other's writing.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the poem's historical background?

    <p>It offers a historical context for the poem's themes and motifs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the tone of the poem's final line?

    <p>Hopeful and optimistic.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Life and Career

    • 'How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways' or 'Sonnet 43' is one of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's most famous poems.
    • She was a renowned Victorian poet who achieved acclaim in her lifetime.
    • Barrett Browning influenced many British and American poets, particularly Emily Dickinson.
    • She was a prolific writer, and her poems caught the attention of Robert Browning, another famous poet of the time.

    Marriage and Later Life

    • Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning married secretly due to her father's disapproval.
    • As a result, her father disinherited her.
    • The couple moved to Italy and supported each other's writing.
    • Elizabeth Barrett Browning died in Italy at the age of 55.

    Elizabeth Barrett Browning

    • A renowned Victorian poet who achieved acclaim in her lifetime
    • Influenced many British and American poets, particularly Emily Dickinson

    'Sonnet 43' (How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways)

    • One of Browning's most famous poems in the English language
    • Expresses the speaker's unending passion for her beloved
    • The speaker loves her lover with all of her being, and hopes God will grant her the ability to love him even after she has passed

    Themes in 'Sonnet 43'

    • Love and devotion
    • Relationships
    • Addressed to her listener, likely her husband Robert Browning
    • Makes nature-based comparisons to depict her love accurately and movingly

    Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Sonnet 43

    • Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a renowned Victorian poet who achieved acclaim in her lifetime and influenced many British and American poets, including Emily Dickinson.
    • Sonnet 43, also known as "How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways," is one of Browning's most famous poems and one of the most recognizable poems in the English language.

    Themes

    • The poem explores the theme of love, specifically the speaker's unending passion for their beloved.
    • Death is also a theme, as the speaker hopes that God will allow her to love her partner even in death, revealing a spiritual aspect to their love.

    Structure and Form

    • Sonnet 43 is a Petrarchan sonnet, consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme of abba abba cdcdcd.
    • The poem follows the traditional metrical pattern of iambic pentameter, with each line containing five sets of two beats (unstressed and stressed).

    Literary Devices

    • Browning uses various literary devices, including imagery, simile, and alliteration, to create vivid and sensory experiences for the reader.
    • Imagery is a key device, as seen in lines like "I love thee to the level of every day's / Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light", which appeal to the reader's senses.

    Sonnet 43 Analysis

    • The poem explores the speaker's deep love for her husband, with the last 13 lines devoted to enumerating the ways she loves him.

    Lines 2-4

    • The speaker's love is described as infinite, reaching the depth, breadth, and height of her soul.
    • The love is so immense that it cannot be "seen" or measured, being "out of sight" and extending to the "ends of being and ideal grace".
    • Barrett Browning uses consonance in line 2, repeating the "th" sound to convey the ongoing nature of her love.

    Lines 5-6

    • The speaker's love is not only extraordinary but also present in everyday life, meeting her "most quiet need" by both "sun and candle-light".
    • Her love is likened to basic necessities, highlighting its importance and constancy.

    Lines 7-8

    • The speaker outlines two additional ways she loves her husband, further emphasizing the depth and variety of her emotions.

    Sonnet 43 Analysis

    • The poem expresses the speaker's love for her husband, comparing it to men's striving for right and turning from praise.
    • The speaker loves her husband freely and purely, without seeking thanks or attention, just like good and just men who do good deeds because it is what they have to do.

    Lines 9-10

    • The speaker loves her husband with the same passion she had for her old griefs, which can be defined as things she passionately despises.
    • She also loves him with the faith of a child, which is steadfast and true.

    Lines 11-13

    • The speaker loves her husband with a love she seemed to lose, comparing it to her lost saints, people she once loved and adored in her life.
    • This love is now transferred to her husband, and she loves him with all that she is: her breath, smiles, and tears.
    • The speaker confesses that she loves her husband with all that has made up her life.

    Lines 13-14

    • The poem concludes with the speaker acknowledging her willingness to love her husband forever, if God chooses to allow her to do so.
    • This final statement expresses her devotion and commitment to her husband.

    Poem Analysis

    • The speaker declares that their love will only grow stronger even after death, emphasizing its eternal nature.
    • The poem expresses the speaker's confidence that their love will continue to flourish despite physical separation or mortality.

    Historical Background

    • Elizabeth Barrett Browning fell in love with Robert Browning after he praised her writing.
    • The couple exchanged letters before marrying, despite knowing her father would not approve.
    • The Brownings' marriage was built on mutual love, respect, and admiration for each other's literary works.
    • Robert Browning affectionately called Elizabeth "my little Portuguese", inspiring the title of her poetry collection, Sonnets From the Portuguese.

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    Explore the life and works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, a renowned Victorian poet who influenced many British and American poets.

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