Sonnet 29 - 'I think of thee!'

• Who wrote Sonnet 29?

  Elizabeth Barrett Browning
• In which era was Sonnet 29 written?

  Victorian
• 'I think of thee! - my thoughts do twine and bud /

  About thee, as wild vines, about a tree,'
• 'Put out broad leaves, and soon there's nought to see /

  Except the straggling green which hides the wood.'
• 'Yet, O my palm-tree, be it understood /

  I will not have my thoughts instead if thee'
• 'Who art dearer, better! Rather instantly /

  Renew thy presence; as a strong tree should,'
• 'Rustle thy boughs and set thy trunk all bare, /

  And let these bands of greenery which insphere thee'
• 'Drop heavily down, - burst, shattered, everywhere! /

  Because, in this deep joy to see and hear thee'
• 'And breathe within thy shadow a new air, /

  I do not think of thee - I am too near thee.'
• What technique is used in the following line and what is the affect: 'About thee, as wild vines, about a tree,'?

  Natural simile - compares her thoughts to wild vines to show that her thoughts stop her from seeing him as he really is
• What is the metaphor in Sonnet 29?

  That the narrator is the 'wild vines' and the lover is the 'tree'
• What is the technique used in the following line and what is the effect: 'I will not have my thoughts instead of thee'?

  The imperative phrase 'I will not' shows that the voice is demanding
• What is unusual about the voice of Sonnet 29?

  The voice is a commanding woman which was unusual for Victorian times
• What is significant about the following lines: 'Who art dearer, better! Rather instantly / Renew thy presence; as a strong tree should,'?

  It contains an exclamation mark at the volta to emphasise excitement - the volta has been brought forward to the middle of line 7 which also emphasises her impatience
• What is significant about the words 'Rustle' and 'Renew'?

  They are both imperative commands at the start of lines to emphasise the voice's impatience
• What is significant about the word 'insphere'?

  It is a suffocating word that emphasises how intense the voice's thoughts are
• What is significant about the line breaks throughout the poem ('-')?

  They create suspense
• What feelings are present in Sonnet 29?

  Passion, deep joy and love
• What is significant about the form of Sonnet 29?

  It is a Petrarchan sonnet with an octave and a sestet, although in this sonnet the volta comes early
• What is significant about the structure of Sonnet 29?

  The first and last lines are reversals of each other
• What is significant about the imagery used in Sonnet 29?

  The imagery is natural and the sonnet is an extended metaphor about the lover being a tree and the voice being wild vines
• What are the key themes in Sonnet 29?

  Fulfilment, nature, distance and longing
• What is significant about the phrase: 'burst, shattered'?

  The plosive sound of the letter 't' emphasises the excitement the voice feels
• What type of relationship is presented in the poem?

  A passionate love between two betrothed people
• What is significant about the rhythm in Sonnet 29?

  It is very regular to make the poem more commanding