How Do I Love Thee by Elizabeth Barrett Browning | Sonnet 43 | Elizabeth Barrett Browning | How Do I Love Thee | Explanation | Summary | Key Points | Word Meaning | Critical Appreciation | Questions Answers | Free PDF Download – Easy Literary Lessons
How Do I Love Thee?
(Sonnet 43)
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
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.
How Do I Love Thee Analysis
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
Explanation: The first line of the poem “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” is a rhetorical question where the speaker is addressing her beloved. This question sets the stage for the rest of the poem, which is essentially a list enumerating the various ways in which she loves him. The speaker is not asking for an answer, but rather setting up a context in which she can explore the depth and breadth of her love.
Poetic devices
Rhetorical Question: The line begins with a rhetorical question, “How do I love thee?” This device draws the reader in, encouraging them to ponder the depth and nature of the speaker’s love.
Anaphora: While anaphora (repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses) is not fully established in this single line, it sets up the repetitive structure that follows with “I love thee” at the beginning of subsequent lines.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
Explanation: In these lines, the speaker is expressing the magnitude of her love using spatial dimensions. She loves her beloved to the “depth and breadth and height” that her soul can reach. This suggests that her love is not confined to the physical realm but extends into the spiritual or metaphysical realm. The phrase “when feeling out of sight / For the ends of being and ideal grace” implies that her love extends beyond the physical world and reaches into the spiritual or metaphysical realm. The “ends of being” could be interpreted as the purpose or ultimate state of existence, and “ideal grace” suggests a state of perfect virtue or righteousness.
Poetic Device
Imagery: The use of “depth and breadth and height” provides a spatial image that helps the reader visualize the vastness and multidimensional nature of her love.
Hyperbole: The line employs hyperbole by exaggerating the extent of her love to emphasize its immensity and boundless nature. It suggests that her love extends to the farthest reaches of her soul.
Consonance: The repetition of the ‘th’ sound in “depth” and “breadth” adds a rhythmic quality to the line, enhancing its musicality.
Enjambment: The continuation of the sentence from one line to the next without a pause creates a flowing and continuous expression of love, mirroring the unending nature of her feelings.
Personification: The line personifies the soul as having the ability to reach, suggesting an active and dynamic quality to her love.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
Explanation: In these lines, the speaker is expressing her love in terms of daily life and ordinary moments. The phrase “to the level of every day’s / Most quiet need” suggests a love that is steady and consistent, meeting the most basic and fundamental needs. The reference to “sun and candle-light” indicates that her love is constant throughout the day and night, in both light and darkness. This love, the speaker reveals, is not like the epic love stories of Antiquity but rather an extraordinarily ordinary love that is reassuringly there, night or day.
Poetic Device
Imagery: The line uses imagery to convey the consistency and omnipresence of her love. “Sun and candle-light” evoke the passage of time from day to night, suggesting her love is constant throughout.
Symbolism: The “sun and candle-light” are symbols representing day and night respectively. This indicates that her love is constant throughout the day and night, in both light and darkness.
Enjambment: The line “Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.” is enjambed, which means the sentence does not end at the line break and continues onto the next line. This gives the poem a more conversational tone and can also be used to create suspense.
Juxtaposition: The juxtaposition of “sun” (daytime) and “candle-light” (nighttime) emphasizes that her love endures through all times of the day, symbolizing both the bright and dark moments in life.
Metaphor: The comparison of love to fulfilling “most quiet need” acts as a metaphor, suggesting that her love is as essential and omnipresent as the needs one might not even consciously notice.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
Explanation: In this line, the speaker asserts that her love is given freely and unconditionally, without expectation of anything in return. The comparison to “men strive for right” suggests a sense of moral or ethical duty. This implies that her love is as natural and uncompromising as the pursuit of justice or righteousness. This line is a critical declaration in a Victorian culture that regarded socio-economic criteria as more important than the urgencies of the heart in establishing socially acceptable marriages.
Poetic Device
Simile: The line uses a simile to compare her love to the earnest and voluntary efforts of people striving for righteousness (“as men strive for right”). This highlights the sincerity and freedom in her expression of love.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
Explanation: In this line, the speaker claims that her love is pure and untainted by vanity or desire for recognition. The phrase “as they turn from praise” could be interpreted as a reference to humble or modest individuals who seek virtue for its own sake rather than for accolades or admiration. This line suggests that her love is not influenced by external validation or praise but is instead a sincere and genuine emotion.
Poetic Device
Simile: The line uses a simile to draw a comparison between the purity of her love and the actions of people who avoid seeking praise for their good deeds (“as they turn from praise”). This emphasizes the selflessness and genuineness of her love.
Alliteration: The repetition of the ‘p’ sound in “purely” and “praise” adds a rhythmic quality to the line and draws attention to the key concepts of purity and praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
Explanation: In these lines, the speaker expresses that her love is fueled by the passion that she has experienced in past sorrows, suggesting a love that is deepened by shared suffering or empathy. The reference to “my childhood’s faith” implies a love that is innocent and trusting, reminiscent of a child’s unshakeable faith. The speaker is of the view that she uses the passions that she used to employ during her sorrows. She has had full faith in that passion since her childhood.
Poetic Device
Juxtaposition: The line juxtaposes “old griefs” with “childhood’s faith,” highlighting the complex nature of her love. It combines intense, perhaps painful experiences with the purity and simplicity of a child’s faith.
Alliteration: The repetition of the ‘p’ sound in “passion put” creates a rhythmic quality, emphasizing the intensity of her emotions.
Enjambment: The continuation of the sentence across two lines creates a seamless flow, reflecting the continuity and integration of different emotional experiences in her expression of love.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints.
Explanation: In these lines, the speaker is expressing a sense of loss and longing. The phrase “a love I seemed to lose” could refer to a previous love or a sense of idealized love that she felt she had lost. The “lost saints” could represent lost loved ones or lost ideals. This suggests a love that is both sacred and mournful, perhaps reflecting past losses or disappointments. The speaker is of the view that she uses the passions that she used to employ during her sorrows.
Poetic Device
Metaphor: “Lost saints” serves as a metaphor for cherished but bygone figures or ideals, implying that her love for her beloved rekindles the same sacred intensity she once felt.
I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Explanation: In the concluding lines of the poem, the speaker declares that she loves her beloved with every aspect of her life, including her “breath,” “smiles,” and “tears”. This suggests a love that encompasses all of her experiences, emotions, and existence. The final phrase “if God choose, / I shall but love thee better after death” underscores the eternal nature of her love. This line encapsulates the theme of the sonnet – a love that is vast, profound, and transcends the physical world.
Poetic Device
Imagery: The imagery of “breath, smiles, tears” vividly captures the range of human experiences and emotions, illustrating that her love is all-encompassing and deeply felt.
Hyperbole: The claim “I shall but love thee better after death” uses hyperbole to express the speaker’s belief that her love will not only persist but also intensify beyond the confines of mortal life.
