Sonnet 43 (Analysis)

http://poetry.about.com/library/weekly/blbrowninglove.htm

The poems, Sonnet 43 and Sonnet 29, are in a way two varied approaches taken by individuals towards the theme and feeling of love. In Sonnet 43, the love of the poet is intense and passionate. The poem is a positive one and the reader gets feelings of hope, energy and happiness after reading the poem. The poet emphasizes on the phrase “I love thee” by starting every statement with these words, throughout the poem. The theme of love is expressed in Sonnet 43 freely, compassionately and positively. The poet writes, “I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach.” This shows the extent of the poet’s love.  The poet loves another individual to the full capacity that her soul can reach. This gives a feeling of love in its deepest and most eternal form.

The poet tells the reader the many ways in which she loves her lover. She says:

“I love thee with the ends of Being and Ideal Grace”

“I love thee freely, as men strive for Right”

“I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise”

These lines encompass the amount of freedom the poet enjoys in loving. She gives her lover an exalted position by saying that when the feeling of peace and God’s love is beyond her, he takes that place. This shows that she loves him to such an extent that she relies on him for peace of mind and body. Also, these lines convey that she is willing to die for her love, just as men die fighting for rights of freedom of expression and liberty. Her love extends to the point where she is willing to sacrifice or give up all her needs or desires for her lover. Also, it tells us that she is not judgmental about her love, instead, she is understanding, tolerant and patient because she accepts the reality of their love for each other and knows that to make the relationship better, sacrifice has to be made. The poet loves with privacy and does not bother of what others think. This shows how deep she has gotten into this emotion of hers and is oblivious to other people’s views or opinions.

She mentions that she loves with her childhood’s faith, which implies that her love is as unwavering, complete and innocent as a child’s beliefs. Therefore, this means that she is not distracted in her love and she loves and will always only love one person and will give the beloved her complete attention. Nothing that happens can affect the way she feels, suggesting her love to be strong and brave.

The poem only has two physical images, “candlelight” and “sun”. The poet does not restrict the poem to images, as then the poem would become something which is a part of the material world and thus can be destroyed or hurt. She expresses abstract ideals of liberty, freedom, mathematical space (depth, breadth, and height), faith, god and soul, all of which cannot be expressed through metaphors, personification or imagery. This shows the poet’s want of her love to be eternal and deep. All these ideas are not subject to time or change. Therefore, the emotion of love in this poem is also not subject to time and change and is strong as death.