Understanding 'Sonnet 43'
I can explain how Barrett Browning presents her feelings of love.
Understanding 'Sonnet 43'
I can explain how Barrett Browning presents her feelings of love.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- ‘Sonnet 43’ is one of Barrett Browning’s 44 sonnets that she wrote for her future husband - Robert Browning.
- The poem follows the conventions of a Petrarchan sonnet.
- The poem explores the transcendental and bountiful love the poet and her future husband share.
- Barrett Browning eloped with Robert Browning, and was disinherited by her father.
- Barrett Browning struggled with chronic illness, which may explain why the poem has spiritual/religious undertones.
Common misconception
Students might think that this sonnet was written whilst Barrett Browning was married.
This poem was written before the pair were married. Barrett Browning knew of her father's disapproval, but loved Robert Browning very much.
Keywords
Petrarchan sonnet - a kind of sonnet, used to express feelings of love, which has a unique rhyme scheme
Volta - a shift in tone in a poem, found in a sonnet between the octet and the sestet
Sombre - serious, sad and reflective
Bountiful - abundant - endless
Transcendental - beyond ordinary or common experience - spiritual or supernatural in some way
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
a shift in tone in a poem
serious, sad and reflective
abundant or endless
beyond ordinary or common experience