Sonnet 29 - 'I think of thee!' - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

• Context

  Elizabeth Barret Browning (1806-1861) was born in County Durham. She wrote this poem in 1845-46 as part of a series of sonnets about her future husband, Robert Browning, called Sonnets from the Portuguese.
• What the poem's about

  1. The narrator tells her lover how much she thinks about him when they're not together. She's worried that her thoughts will obscure the reality of what he's actually like.

  2. However, she reassures him that her thoughts do not compare to the reality of him. She wants him to be a strong presence in her life and to be with him rather than just thinking about him.
• Feelings and attitudes in the poem

  1. Longing - The narrator longs to be with her lover instead of just thinking about him.

  2. Intensity - She thinks about her lover all the time when they're apart. Her language is forceful - she uses imperatives which almost order him to be with her.

  3. Celebration - She takes pleasure in her feelings of lover for him - she enjoys the way her thoughts envelop him, but she takes even greater joy in the thought of him being a physical presence in her life.
• Form

  Sonnet form is traditionally used for love poetry. This sonnet is loosely written in the Petrarchan form, with eight lines (an octave) followed by six lines (a sestet) - the octave usually presents a problem and the sestet provides a solution. However, in this poem, the solution arrives in the middle of line 7 - having it come early and in the middle of a line reflects the narrator's impatience to see her lover.

  "Thee" - Rhymes him with himself - this shows her obsession with him.

  "!" - Caesura creates a turning point (volta) in the poem
• Structure

  The transition from the problem to the solution reflects the difference between the narrator thinking about her lover and being with him. This is emphasised by the reversal of the first and last lines - in the first line, the narrator says "I think of thee!", but by the end of the poem, she imagines that when she's with her lover, she'll no longer think of him because she'll be "too near" him.

  "I do not think of thee" - Reversal of the first line highlights the difference between thinking about him and being with him.
• What does the extended metaphor in the poem represent?

  The lover is a tree, thoughts are vines
• How do the "wild vines" reflect the narrator's thoughts?

  They show her thoughts are growing and unrestrained
• What does the image of the tree casting off the vines signify?

  Her desire for a strong, permanent relationship
• What does "twine and bud" suggest in the poem?

  Natural imagery of growth and connection
• How does the metaphor of "wild vines" and "tree" function in the poem?

  The narrator is the vines, lover is the tree
• What does the internal rhyme of "thee" and "tree" emphasize?

  The connection between the narrator and her lover
• What does the word "broad" imply about the narrator's feelings?

  Her love for him is extensive
• What do the phrases "nought to see" and "hides the wood" suggest?

  Her thoughts obscure her perception of him
• What does "straggling" imply about the vines in relation to the tree?

  The vines are inferior to the tree
• How do the sibilant sounds in "presence", "as", "strong", "should" contribute to the poem?

  They reflect the rustling of the tree's leaves
• What does the word "heavily" indicate about the narrator's thoughts?

  They emphasize the weight of her thoughts
• How do exclamation marks reflect the narrator's feelings about her lover?

  They show her joy and excitement about him
• What do plosive sounds and dynamic verbs emphasize in the narrator's feelings?

  Her strong desire to be with her lover
• What effect do imperatives and alliteration have in the phrases "Renew" and "Rustle"?

  They emphasize her desire for him to act
• What does the exclamation mark signify in the context of the narrator's thoughts?

  It emphasizes her pleasure in thinking about him
• How does the phrase "- burst, shattered, everywhere!" contribute to the narrator's excitement?

  It uses three words to show his overwhelming presence
• What role does caesura play in the narrator's expression of excitement?

  It contributes to the dramatic effect of her feelings
• What does the plosive sound in "Because," signify in the narrator's argument?

  It marks the conclusion of her argument
• What does the phrase "I am too near" suggest about the narrator's feelings when she is with her lover?

  She doesn't need to think about him; he surpasses her imagination
• Definitions


  Twine - wind around something

  Straggling - not orderly

  Insphere - completely enclsoe
• Other Analysis'

  "I think of thee" - The narrator addresses her lover directly, which makes the poem seem more personal

  "set thy trunk all bare" - Possibly an erotic reference