How Do I Love Thee?
romantic love stories in the literary world. For a look at one of Robert’s love letters to Elizabeth, please visit: http://www.cswnet.com/~erin/loveletter.h... In 1846 they were married, against her father’s wishes, to which he responded by disowning her. Robert countered this by whisking Elizabeth away to Italy for their honeymoon. Even after marrying him, Elizabeth never fully understood Robert’s love for her, and this is reflected in some of her poetry. Other poems, such as “How Do I love Thee,” simply reflects her love back to him.
Four years after they were married, Elizabeth released “Sonnets from the Portuguese,” a book of poems, which included, “How Do I Love Thee.” Robert’s pet name for Elizabeth was “my little Portuguese,” because of her dark complexion, and so went the title of the book. In the poem, “How Do I Love Thee,”, we can see how this unconditional love from Robert, made all of the difference in the sometimes dark life of Elizabeth. This poem, is in more ways than one, a triumph of love over adversity and pain.
From this poem, we see her use if rhythm and rhyme. Fourteen lines so eloquently spoken, that this testament of love has stood the test of time. Looking back on the romantic poets, Elizabeth Barett Browning must be considered one of, if not the best one there was. She did not write it from the point wanting, or desiring, but having. How many poets have written from that viewpoint and meant it? There are thousands of poems, songs, even stories, written about love. Wanting love, having love, and losing love. Elizabeth Barrett Browning covered all of those, and lived every single one.
In her final line, “I shall but love thee better after death,” could very well have been said by Robert himself. In 1861, Elizabeth, his wife of 15 years, passed away in his arms.
“Sonnets from the Portuguese,” along with the arsenal of others she had released, helped to propel her to the top ranks of poets in England. Upon the death of Wordsworth, many thought that Elizabeth would be named Poet Laureate, but the honor went to Alfred Tennyson instead. Regardless of who held the title, the fact that Elizabeth was a forerunner spoke volumes about her talent and the impression she made on the people of her time. Robert Browning was not known as a poet until after he had already died. Elizabeth enjoyed this in her own lifetime.
Unlike Emily Dickinson, who did not want her work published, Elizabeth Barrett Browning worked and lived with her poetry, embracing
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