CONTEXT:
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born in a wealthy family in Birmingham
Her father encouraged her to read
She hated slavery which was her family’s source of income
She developed an illness which gave her serious health conditions
When she was 22 years old her mother died however they weren’t close
When she was 29 she moved to London, she then moved to Torquay
Her brother died in a boating accident
She got married to a fellow poet and moved to Italy, her parents disapproved of
her marriage
She was very religious
She died in June 1861
RHYME SCHEME:
Iambic pentameter (10 syllables per line)
Is a sonnet to profess her love for her husband
TONE & MOOD:
Romantic
Desire
Passionate
Religious imagery
Positive to slightly negative
Uplifting
Intimate
Sincere
THEMES:
Death/Mortality
Women
Fragility
Awe & Amazement
Relationships/Love
Freedom/Confinement
Time
Identity