Student Question
How many distinct ways does the "Sonnet 43" speaker express love for her beloved?
Quick answer:
In "Sonnet 43," the speaker expresses love for her beloved in nine distinct ways. She loves him deeply, both spiritually and in everyday simplicity, freely and purely, passionately with converted griefs, with childhood faith, with the love once given to lost saints, with every breath, smile, and tear, and, finally, beyond death, according to God's will.
In her “Sonnet 43,” Elizabeth Barrett counts the ways in which she loves her future husband, Robert Browning, and comes up with nine different ways. Let's explore these.
Barrett loves her beloved “to the depth and breadth and height” that her soul can reach, even beyond what she can see. Yet at the same time, she loves him on the level of everyday life with the simplicity of sunshine and candle light.
Barrett loves her beloved both freely and purely. She loves him passionately, turning all her “old griefs” and their intensity into love for him. She loves him “with my childhood's faith,” with complete trust.
Barrett loves her future husband with the love she once gave her “lost saints,” those people whom she loved but who are gone, perhaps through death, perhaps through disappointment. Now the love she had for them has been showered on her beloved.
Barrett loves her beloved with every breath, smile, and tear of her life as well. Finally, according to God's will, she will love him even after she dies and perhaps better than ever then.
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