Summary of the poem if thou must love me. Summary of If Thou Must Love Me by Elizabeth Barrett Browning 2022-11-04
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"If Thou Must Love Me" is a poem written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, one of the most prominent poets of the Victorian era. In the poem, the speaker addresses her beloved, expressing her love for him and also setting some conditions for their relationship.
The poem begins with the speaker saying that if the beloved must love her, then he must love her "in truth and in faith." She does not want his love to be based on superficial qualities or fleeting emotions, but rather on a deep, genuine affection. She also asks him to "love that well which thou must leave ere long," meaning that she wants him to love her fully and completely, even though their time together may be limited.
The speaker then goes on to say that if the beloved must love her, he must "do not with love of thine own will," but rather out of a sense of duty or commitment. She does not want his love to be based on his own desires or needs, but rather on a sense of responsibility towards her.
In the final stanza, the speaker asks the beloved to "love me so, as I love thee." She wants their love to be mutual and equal, with both parties giving as much as they receive. She also asks him to "be strong and constant in thy love," meaning that she wants him to be faithful and loyal to her.
Overall, "If Thou Must Love Me" is a poem that explores the nature of love and the conditions that the speaker believes are necessary for a healthy, fulfilling relationship. It is a deeply personal and emotionally charged poem, and it speaks to the desire for love that is genuine, mutual, and enduring.
If Thou Must Love Me
Love her for loves sake, not for anything else. Foale BTEC Level 3 National Construction and the Built Environment Student Book S. All of these are soft, slowing the poem down. This sense of urgency, obligation, and intimacy created by the second person creates a compelling conflict and tension. The speaker takes for granted that superficial aspects of her identity, such as the way she looks, are no more fleeting and impermanent than things we typically think of as far more profound—such as the way that she and her lover interact and spend time together, or the way she thinks. Moreover, she tells her lover not to love her for her looks or smile which will fade with time line 3.
If Thou Must Love Me, Let It Be For Nought (Sonnet 14) Themes
She holds an Honors Bachelor of Arts in English literature from the University of Toronto. . While the poem does indeed offer a critique of those expectations, it is only part of a broader concern over the impermanence of all personal characteristics. Adams Essential Cell Biology B. She expresses how her lover may just love her falsely without even noticing. Hyperbole is used in a word choice.
Analysis of If Thou Must Love Me by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Like other traditional sonnets, it is written in iambic pentameter. She asks her lover not to love her for the sake of pity, and not to value the wiping of her tears as a basis for love. The sonnet is in the Italian or Petrarchan form of sonnet with the rhyme scheme ABBA ABBA CD CD CD. Her distress over such an abstraction might seem overwrought or dramatic, so it matters that Browning has presented the speaker as such a logical and controlled individual. Mclaney Introductory Econometrics J. Peteiro Popular books for Technological and Physical Sciences BTEC Level 3 National Applied Science Student Book F. Because they are tied together by shared rhymes, the first eight lines of the poem constitute a self-contained section, with its own clear sub-argument that fits within the broader context of the poem.
If Thou Must Love Me, Let It Be For Nought (Sonnet 14) Lines 1
Heywood Practical Legal Skills R. She is referring out here that there is much more to love than just what appears at face value. Walmsley Global Politics A. Dicken Popular books for Business and Economics BTEC Level 3 National Business Student Book 1 C. Some of this rationality comes through in the sounds of her speech: a measured, predictable meter and rhyme scheme. Therefore, a love based on such a dynamic cannot last.
What Are the Figures of Speech in the Poem "If Thou Must Love Me"?
The tone shifts from generalizing to concluding. Make sure you like Beamingnotes Facebook pageand subscribe to our newsletterso that we can keep in touch. Shakespeare OCR A Level History: England 1485—1603 N. Her sonnets give importance to the thinking of women and not to the male-dominated society. While it is known that Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote the sonnet for her husband Robert Browning, the "you" addressed in the work goes unnamed and unidentified. While she first asks her lover not to value her for her smile and other aspects of her appearance, she then asks him not to value her even for the way she thinks. She believes that if her lover loves her for her qualities, someday his love would vanish when her superficial qualities would fade away.
If Thou Must Love Me (Sonnet 14) Summary & Analysis
This loss of recognition might make her lose his love for good. Thus this poem questions the idea of a woman and demands the right of woman to speak and to be heard. Gender One of the types of love that the speaker dismisses is a kind formed unthinkingly around gender norms. Jarvis BTEC Level 3 National IT Student Book 2 K. In the fashion of most Italian sonnets, it both shifts subject matter slightly and shifts rhyme scheme after this volta, going from an ABBA rhyme scheme to a CDCDCD one. Also Read: How Pleasant to Know Mr Lear Analysis, Central Idea, and Themes: 2022 Some online learning platforms provide certifications, while others are designed to simply grow your skills in your personal and professional life. In that way the lover will have no reason to love her anymore.
Summary of If Thou Must Love Me by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Only a fraction of the figures of speech that appear in "Sonnet 14" are presented here, but with the right resources and a little study you'll be able to find many more. Next Section Test Yourself! It seems like she is not happy with the present idealism of her man. She does not want her lover to love her for her smile or the way in which their thoughts are similar, as these things are liable to change over time. The same can be said of the rhyme scheme. Raffo Financial Accounting for Decision Makers P. Kaye BTEC National Engineering Student Book A.
THEMES: Theme of Love: Love is the most dominant theme in Women Rights: During the Victorian period, women did not have the right to vote or had any right to own property. CUMULATIVE LISTING: Cumulative Listing is a technique of listing similar ideas in poetry. Moreover, she tells her lover not to love her for her looks or smile which will fade with time line 3. This poem is written as a monologue, delivered from a female speaker to an unidentified listener. Born in Country Durham eldest of 12 children, wrote poetry from the age eleven. The primary meaning of bore is "to support the weight of," but it can also mean "to endure," which may put a negative spin on how the speaker feels about the lover.
If thou must love me, let it be for nought (Sonnets from the Portuguese 14) Poem Summary and Analysis
Talman BTEC National Level 3 Health and Social Care E. Jarvis Introduction to Health and Safety in Construction E. She also tells him that he may find some of her qualities compatible with him. Lines 10-14 The next succeeding lines are about the poet telling her lover not to love her out of sympathy of pity. No matter how hard one works for love, if it is based on trite principles of 17th-century relationships, such as mannerisms and looks, it will not last forever.
