Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Leaving Cert English): Revision Notes
How Do I Love Thee?
Overview and poem context
"How Do I Love Thee?" stands as one of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's most celebrated love poems, written in the traditional sonnet form - a 14-line poem specifically designed for expressing romantic feelings. This particular work, also known as Sonnet 43, presents the speaker's deep reflexion on the many dimensions of her love for her partner.
The sonnet form consists of 14 lines with a specific rhyme scheme and metre, making it the perfect structure for exploring complex emotions in a condensed, powerful format.
The poem's central message revolves around the idea that genuine love encompasses multiple aspects of human experience. Rather than focusing solely on romantic attraction, the speaker explores how her love connects to her soul, faith, and very existence. The overarching theme suggests that authentic love remains deep, constant, and everlasting - extending beyond mere emotions to become something spiritual, strong, and eternal.
Analysing the poem's structure
Opening question and limitless love (Lines 1-4)
The poem begins with the famous rhetorical question that immediately draws readers into the speaker's contemplation:
Analysis of the Opening Lines
"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."
This opening establishes the poem's purpose - to catalogue and examine different types of love the speaker experiences. The speaker then describes her first way of loving:
"to the depth and breadth and height / My soul can reach"
This imagery suggests that her love knows no boundaries. The words "depth," "breadth," and "height" create a sense of limitless, all-encompassing emotion that fills every dimension of her existence.
Everyday devotion and pure intentions (Lines 5-8)
The speaker continues by describing how she loves quietly and faithfully, comparing her love to people's desire to do what is morally correct:
Examining Lines 5-8
"I love thee freely, as men strive for right." "I love thee purely, as they turn from praise."
These comparisons reveal the selfless nature of the speaker's love - it's given without expectation of reward or recognition.
These lines reveal that her love possesses qualities of honesty, selflessness, and freedom from ulterior motives. The love isn't performed for attention or recognition - instead, it represents genuine care and commitment to doing what feels right.
Love connected to past experiences (Lines 9-12)
Barrett Browning then links her present love to her personal history and past struggles:
"I love thee with the passion put to use / In my old griefs"
This powerful statement shows how the speaker channels the same intense energy she once directed towards sadness and pain into her current love. This demonstrates love's transformative power.
This transformation demonstrates how love has helped her heal and find new meaning in her experiences. The speaker also mentions loving "with a love I seemed to lose / With my lost saints," suggesting that she once experienced a crisis of faith but has now rediscovered that same depth of feeling through romantic love.
Promise of eternal love (Lines 13-14)
The poem concludes with a remarkable declaration about love's permanence:
The Powerful Conclusion
"If God choose, / I shall but love thee better after death."
This ending transforms the entire poem by suggesting that her love will not only survive death but potentially grow even stronger.
The love becomes eternal and spiritual, transcending the physical limitations of mortal life.
Major themes
Deep and spiritual love
Throughout the poem, Barrett Browning emphasises that her love extends beyond ordinary emotional attachment. The phrase "My soul can reach" indicates that her love operates on a spiritual level, becoming part of her fundamental being rather than simply a feeling she experiences.
Faith and devotion
The poem connects romantic love with religious faith, particularly in the line "I love thee with the faith of my childhood." This comparison suggests that her love possesses the same unwavering trust and devotion that characterised her early spiritual beliefs.
The connection between romantic and spiritual love was a common theme in Victorian poetry, reflecting the era's emphasis on moral and spiritual development.
Healing through love
The reference to "old griefs" reveals how love has provided emotional healing and recovery. Rather than being destroyed by past pain, the speaker has transformed that energy into something positive and life-affirming through love.
Everlasting love
The final lines establish love as something timeless and eternal. By suggesting her love will continue and even improve after death, Barrett Browning presents love as transcending physical existence and becoming truly everlasting.
Poetic techniques
Sonnet form
Barrett Browning employs the traditional Petrarchan sonnet structure with its 14 lines, following conventions established for love poetry. This classical form adds dignity and formality to her emotional expression.
Repetition
The phrase "I love thee" appears repeatedly throughout the poem, creating a rhythmic emphasis that reinforces the strength and consistency of the speaker's feelings.
This repetition creates an incantatory effect, like a prayer or sacred vow, which reinforces the spiritual dimension of the love being described.
Hyperbole (exaggeration)
The dramatic language of "depth and breadth and height" uses exaggeration to convey the overwhelming magnitude of her love, making it feel boundless and infinite.
Religious language
Words such as "soul," "saints," and "God" infuse the poem with spiritual significance, elevating romantic love to something sacred and holy.
Alliteration
Gentle sounds like "love thee freely" create a soft, musical quality that makes the poem feel tender and intimate.
First-person voice
The consistent use of "I" throughout the poem creates a personal, heartfelt tone that makes readers feel as though the speaker is genuinely opening her heart and sharing her deepest feelings.
About Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning lived during the Victorian era in England, establishing herself as a significant poet who wrote extensively about love, politics, and women's rights. Her relationship with fellow poet Robert Browning provided the inspiration for much of her romantic poetry.
"How Do I Love Thee?" comes from her collection Sonnets from the Portuguese, which she wrote specifically for Robert. The title was chosen to disguise the personal nature of the poems, as "Portuguese" referred to her pet name "my little Portuguese."
This poem represents her deep, powerful, and spiritual understanding of love, making it one of the most beloved and frequently quoted love poems in English literature.
Key takeaways
Essential Points to Remember:
- The poem counts different ways of loving - physical, emotional, spiritual, and eternal dimensions of love
- Love connects to faith and healing - romantic love helps restore faith and transforms past pain into positive energy
- Religious language elevates the love - words like "soul," "saints," and "God" make the love feel sacred and holy
- The sonnet form adds formality - the traditional 14-line structure gives dignity to the emotional expression
- Love transcends death - the final lines promise that love will continue and grow stronger even after death