Sonnet 43 (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

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How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)

Each GCSE poetry anthology contains 15 poems, and in your exam question you will be given one poem – printed in full – and asked to compare this printed poem to another. The exam is closed-book, which means you will not have access to the second poem. This does not mean you need to remember every line from memory, but you do need to understand and remember key aspects of the poem. Understanding four things will enable you to produce a top-grade response:

The meaning of the poem
The ideas and messages of the poet
How the poet conveys these ideas through their methods
How these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas of other poets in the anthology

Below is a guide to Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)', from the Relationships anthology. It includes:

Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations
Writer’s methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods
Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes
What to compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam

Exam Tip

As part of the Relationships anthology 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' examines themes related to romantic love and desire. The exam question asks you to compare the way such ideas are presented in two anthology poems.

It is therefore as important that you learn how 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' compares and contrasts with other poems in the anthology rather than understanding the poem in isolation. See the section below on “What to compare it to” for detailed comparisons of 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' and other poems in the anthology.

Overview

In order to answer an essay question on any poem it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:

The poem in a nutshell
A “translation” of the poem, section-by-section
A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Barrett Browning’s intention and message

'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' in a nutshell

'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)', written by the Victorian poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, can be considered a tribute to love. The poem is a traditional sonnet expressing an intense and passionate relationship.

'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' breakdown

Lines 1–4

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal grace.”

Translation

The poem begins with a rhetorical question that is answered immediately
The speaker begins a list of ways they love the listener:

They love the listener as deep and as wide and as high as their “soul can reach”
They add, for emphasis, that this continues in absence, out of “sight”, and will last forever (“the ends of being”)

Barrett Browning’s intention

The poet begins a persuasive argument to prove the extent of their love to a listener
An emphatic statement answers the question posed and the speaker begins an elevated address to their loved one

Lines 5–6

“I love thee to the level of every day’s

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.”

Translation

The speaker says that their love permeates their everyday life and meets their most simple need
Whether it is the day or night, they love the listener

Barrett Browning’s intention

The poet contrasts the previously hyperbolic comments on boundless love with a shorter statement that describes their love as simple and, perhaps, vital to daily life

Lines 7–8

“I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.”

Translation

The speaker adds two shorter emphatic statements to the list
They describe a love that is free and “right”, suggesting equality
The speaker loves humbly and “purely” without praise or need for reward or attention

Barrett Browning’s intention

Barrett Browning uses two similes, one after the other, to compare love to purity and freedom
The rhetoric (argument) is assertive and sophisticated, equating love to goodness and justice

Line 9–12

“I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath”

Translation

The speaker describes their love as restorative as it turns negative feelings (“old griefs”) to good ones with the same intensity (“passion”) as they once felt pain
The speaker begins to make religious references in the passionate account of their love:

The reference to “childhood’s faith” implies the speaker loves with the same innocence and trust they once had as a child
They imply that their love for “saints” (religion) is not as strong as this love

Barrett Browning’s intention

The poem’s spiritual nature is created with repeated references to a love that is pure and good
Here, Barrett Browning uses religious imagery to heighten the intensity of the poem and thus express the strength of their love

Lines 13–14

“Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.”

Translation

The poem draws to a close with a last list:

The speaker says they love with the “breath/Smiles, tears” of their life, implying they love with every part of their being

The last line proposes that “if God” chooses for them to die, their love would not change:

In fact, it would improve it

Barrett Browning’s intention

In a final, almost desperate, bid to prove their love, the speaker says that their love is entire
Barrett Browning concludes the traditionally elevated sonnet with a final declaration of love:

The love will continue after death

Exam Tip

The exam question asks you to compare the ways poets present ideas about relationships in the poem given to you on the exam paper and one other from the Relationships anthology. For the best answer, you might want to focus on the way themes are presented across the two poems. This is better than providing a list of as many techniques as you can find, or remember. Perhaps you could begin your answer with a clear argument that clarifies how the poems explore relationships. This demonstrates that you have understood the poem and the poet’s intention. For example, “Elizabeth Barrett Browning uses a traditional sonnet to present ideas about romanticised love. Similar themes can be found in…”

Form

Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' is a traditional sonnet to convey ideas of romantic love. The poem is predominantly a direct address that offers a list of ways the listener is loved. The speaker is said to be the poet herself speaking to her husband, Robert Browning.

Theme	Evidence	Poet’s intention
Intimate relationships	The poem centres around a first-person speaker’s expressions of intense love	As the speaker describes their love, the repetition of “I love thee” implies a close listener
	The speaker implies a listener with whom they are intimate, “thee” (you): The rhetorical question and answer to start the poem may suggest that the poem is a reply: “How do I love thee?”	Barrett Browning presents a passionate address to a loved one
	The poem is a sonnet and follows a traditional and sustained abba cdcdcd rhyme scheme and fourteen lines	Barrett Browning uses a sonnet to allude to romantic traditions
	Barrett Browning uses a traditional sonnet to to present an intimate expression of love

Structure

The poem’s regular and sophisticated structure contributes to the idea of constancy and harmony. However, it also creates a desperate and persuasive argument.

Theme	Evidence	Poet’s intention
Romantic love	The traditional pattern of a Petrarchan sonnet, an octave and sestet with iambic pentameter adds to the poem’s romantic nature: The repetitive nature of the poem and its regularity connotes constancy	A theme of unity and equality is created by the regular rhythm: Nevertheless, the repetitive listing can also suggest an urgent tone
	The rhyme scheme breaks slightly with “faith” and “breath”: This highlights significant words and signifies the extent of their love	Barrett Browning gives the speaker a breathless voice to emphasise the passion in their declaration of love
	Despite the poem’s urgent tone, Barrett Browning does not use exclamations: However, caesurae give the poem an assertive tone, such as in the first line This is repeated in the emotional line: “Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,”	The poem uses features typical of persuasive speech and this produces a sophisticated rhetoric to heighten the idea of romance
	Barrett Browning creates an emotional and persuasive argument to portray the strength of a romantic relationship

Language

The poem elevates the idea of romantic relationships with imagery that alludes to spirituality and religion, as well as life and death.

Theme	Evidence	Poet’s intention
Idealised love	Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem elevates the idea of love with hyperbolic lists: The speaker says: “I love thee to the depth and breadth and height/My soul can reach” They add: “I love thee with the breath,/Smiles, tears, of all my life”	The poem uses language that connotes to a boundless love that fills their life
	Barrett Browning uses natural imagery related to the light: The speaker loves the listener in “every day’s/Most quiet need” The speaker contrasts ideas to highlight the constancy of their love: “by sun and candle-light”	Typical of traditional Romantic poetry, the poem presents the intensity of emotions with reference to nature and the universe
	Barrett Browning connects love with religious ideas and virtue: The speaker says they love “purely” The speaker loves with “childhood’s faith” that seems to be stronger than the love for “lost saints”	By the end of the poem, Barrett Browning has presented a convincing description of the speaker’s love: The concluding line states the love will continue after death and, thus, makes it immortal
	Barrett Browning’s poem uses religious and natural imagery that compares love with things that are universal and infinite

Exam Tip

Try not to separate “language”, “form” and “structure” into three separate elements in your answer. The best answers deliver an integrated comparison of the themes and ideas in this and the other poem you choose for comparison and focus on the relevance of the methods used by the poet(s).

This means it is better to structure your answer around an exploration of the ideas in the poems, commenting on elements of language, form or structure that contribute to the presentation of these themes. Stay focused on the task, and then choose your comments based on the theme named in the question.

Writer’s methods

Although this section is organised into three separate sections – form, structure and language – it is always best to move from what the poet is presenting (the techniques they use; the overall form of the poem; what comes at the beginning, middle and end of a poem) to how and why they have made the choices they have.

Focusing on the poet’s overarching ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. Crucially, in the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme, and includes Barrett Browning’s intentions behind her choices in terms of:

Form
Structure
Language

Exam Tip

Examiners specifically state that they are not looking for as many techniques as you can find in the poem(s). In fact, it is better to understand the themes in the poem and then use language and structural techniques to support your ideas.

Identifying sophisticated techniques will not gain you any more marks, especially if these techniques are only “spotted” and the poet’s intentions for this language are not explained. Instead, focus your analysis on the reasons why the poet is presenting their ideas in the way that they are: what is their message? What ideas are they presenting, or challenging?

Context

Examiners repeatedly state that context should not be considered as additional factual information: in this case, it is not random biographical information about Elizabeth Barrett Browning or facts unrelated to the ideas in 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)'. The best way to understand context is as the ideas and perspectives explored by Barrett Browning that relate to romantic love and themes of desire.

This section has therefore been divided into two relevant themes that Barrett Browning explores:

Romantic love
Idealised love and desire

Romantic love

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, born in 1806, is a well-known Victorian poet whose work focuses on romantic love
Her poetry was admired by fellow poet, Robert Browning, and this may have led to their subsequent love affair:

Their relationship was considered inappropriate as Robert Browning was six years her junior

Their affair was conducted via secret letters between the pair due to its scandalous nature:

Many of Barrett Browning’s poems hint at a distance between the speaker and a listener
The poem 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' is ambiguous in this way as it is a direct address to a loved one, “thee”

Barrett Browning is said to have been influenced by philosopher and writer Mary Wollstonecraft and her 1792 feminist essay ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman’:

At the time, Victorian women’s lives were limited and lacked autonomy as they were regarded as the property of their husbands and fathers

This may have led to her rebellion from conventional London society and her decision to marry the younger Robert Browning:

Ultimately, they eloped and moved to Italy

At the time, it was common for female writers to use pen names to avoid the criticism that came with female independence:

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, instead, published much of her poetry anonymously
The poem, 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)', appears in a volume called Sonnets from the Portuguese, which was published secretly
This may have influenced the poet’s choice to use Petrarchan sonnets, noted for their Italian origins

Elizabeth Barrett Browning and her husband are considered influential in altering the gender narrative in classic poetry:

Elizabeth Barrett Browning has been criticised for allusions to submissive females in intense and traditional relationships
Yet some suggest she offers alternative perspectives in classic poetry
By presenting a female perspective, and one that is passionate and intense, she shows females as active participants in romantic relationships

Idealised love and desire

Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s life was troubled with sickness:

This may influence the use of spiritual language and the focus on life and death in poems such as 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)'
Indeed, the speaker suggests it is God’s choice if they live or die
In the poem the speaker expresses a love that transcends life

The poem 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' implies immortality through a perfect and pure love that goes on infinitely:

This poem can be considered a conventional Romantic poem in that it explores intense emotions
Its elevated idealisation of a love that is the “breath,/Smiles, tears”, and that makes up “all” of the speaker’s life, presents a significantly obsessive love
The poem’s use of religious imagery alludes to classical presentations of intense love
Its allusions to the “soul” and the idea of freedom is typical of Romantic poetry that presents love as all-powerful

Nevertheless, the poem can also be considered an example of Neo-classical poetry due to its themes of logic and reason:

The persuasive argument in 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' is predominantly a list of ways the speaker loves the implied listener

Its sophisticated rhetoric is typical of elevated poetry that is rooted in established tradition
Archaic language in the poem, such as “thee”, is a convention of Victorian poetry that idealised and heightened the theme conveyed

Exam Tip

Remember, AO3 is only worth up to 5 marks in this question. You will be expected to demonstrate your understanding of the relationship between the poem and the context in which it was written in an integrated way, throughout your answer.

Context should be connected to the theme named in the task, and can cover aspects of genre (related to poetry), social, literary and historical context, as well as the author’s influences. However, writing a whole paragraph about Elizabeth Barrett Browning is not an integrated approach, and will not achieve high marks. Instead, use contextual comments to support your ideas.

What to compare it to

The essay you are required to write in your exam is a comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems. It is therefore essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand how each poet presents ideas about relationships, in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given that 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' explores the ideas of romantic desire and idealised love, the following comparisons are the most appropriate:

'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' and 'She Walks in Beauty'
'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' and 'La Belle Dame sans Merci'
'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' and 'i wanna be yours'

For each pair of poems, you will find:

The comparison in a nutshell
Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem
Differences between the ideas presented in each poem
Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences

Exam Tip

You will be expected to explore the poem(s) in depth and make perceptive comments about the way themes are presented and conveyed by the language, form and structural techniques, such as endings of poems. It is therefore important that you have a thorough knowledge of such key ideas, rather than just memorising a series of quotations.

It is also essential that you not only write about the named poem, but compare it to one other in the anthology. Only writing about the poem given on the paper will severely limit your marks.

'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' and 'She Walks in Beauty'

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Lord Byron elevate and idealise romantic relationships. However, while Barrett Browning’s poem is a direct address to a specific listener, Byron’s poem about a mysterious woman suggests a silent or unrequited love.

Similarities:

Topic sentence	Both speakers describe idealised romantic relationships
Evidence and analysis	'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)'	'She Walks in Beauty'
	Barrett Browning’s poem centres around a first-person speaker’s expressions of intense love: The repetition of “I love thee” hints at obsessive love	Byron’s poem focuses solely on describing a woman, suggestive of fascination or intense attraction
	Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem elevates the idea of love with hyperbolic language: The speaker says: “I love thee to the depth and breadth and height/My soul can reach” They add: “I love thee with the breath,/Smiles, tears, of all my life”	Byron similarly elevates the idea of romance: The woman is described with hyperbolic language: “So soft, so calm” and “How pure, how dear”
	The poem’s religious references imply the speaker’s love is pure: The speaker loves with “childhood’s faith” that seems to be stronger than the love for “lost saints”	Byron’s celestial imagery is used in a similar way to describe the woman: She is compared to “heaven” and “starry skies” The woman’s purity is emphasised at the end of the poem: she has “A heart whose love is innocent!”
	The poets elevate the idea of romance to present intense feelings of love and desire

Topic sentence	Both poems describe romance with reference to constancy and enlightenment
Evidence and analysis	'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)'	'She Walks in Beauty'
	Barrett Browning uses a sonnet to allude to romantic traditions: The sonnet follows a traditional and sustained abba cdcdcd rhyme scheme	Byron’s poem employs sophisticated alternating rhyme in regular stanzas to present a constant rhythm and a controlled speaker
	Barrett Browning uses natural imagery related to the light: The speaker loves the listener in “every day’s/Most quiet need” Contrasting ideas of light highlight the constant nature of their love: “by sun and candle-light”	Byron’s natural imagery describes both dark and light: The woman has the “best of dark and bright” He shows this in oxymoronic lines: “every raven tress” that “softly lightens o’er her face” Byron alludes to the woman’s “tender light” in contrast to the “gaudy day”
	Barrett Browning, too, hints at the way love is connected with virtue: The speaker refers to the levels their “soul can reach” and they love “purely” They refer to “ideal grace”	Byron’s woman is described as serene and calm, and he implies the speaker’s admiration of her purity: She spends her “days in goodness” and she is “at peace with all below”
	Both poems explore ideas about the connection between goodness and true love

Differences:

Topic sentence	While Barrett Browning’s poem is an expressive direct address to a lover, Byron’s poem hints at silent or unrequited love
Evidence and analysis	'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)'	'She Walks in Beauty'
	Barrett Browning’s speaker implies a listener with whom they are intimate: The rhetorical question to start the poem may suggest this is a reply: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”	However, Byron’s third-person description of an unnamed woman, “she”, suggests the love is not realised
	‘Sonnet 43’ intimately addresses a listener “thee” (you) and the poem alludes to time spent together	Byron’s speaker, though, does not refer to themselves or their emotions, implying detachment: Instead, the poem describes a woman as if someone is watching her, “And on that cheek, and o’er that brow”
	Barrett Browning offers a lover a list of all the ways they are in love, indicative of a close relationship, whereas Byron depicts a silent, distant admiration for a woman

Exam Tip

It is a good idea to outline your choice of second poem in your introduction to your response, with a clear overview of the overarching themes within both poems. You can then use the theme to move between both poems to provide the substance to illustrate your arguments. However, this does not mean that you cannot focus on one poem first, and then the other, linking ideas back to the main poem. You should choose whichever structure suits you best, as long as comparison is embedded and ideas for both texts are well-developed.

'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' and 'La Belle Dame sans Merci'

Comparison in a nutshell:

This is an effective comparative choice to explore the presentation of relationships and romantic love across traditional Romantic poems. However, while Barrett Browning’s poem is a tribute praising an ideal love, Keats’s poem tells a melancholic tale about a strange and tragic relationship.

Similarities:

Topic sentence	Both poems portray love as both natural and pure, as well as ethereal
Evidence and analysis	'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)'	'La Belle Dame sans Merci'
	Barrett Browning describes love with natural imagery connoting to a pure love, perhaps one that enlightens: The speaker loves “by sun and candle-light” These images create a romantic mood	Keats uses contrasting natural imagery to describe the sensual nature of the relationship: The knight is on a “cold hill” when the “harvest” is done They meet in the “meads” and make flower garlands in a “fragrant zone”
	Barrett Browning connects love with spirituality and religion: The speaker loves “to the depth and breadth and height” their “soul can reach” They love with “childhood’s faith”	Keats makes religious references to elevate romantic love: The lady feeds the knight “manna-dew” The knight calls the woman a “faery’s child”
	The poem connects love to death, suggesting immortal or infinite love: The poem ends “I shall but love thee better after death”	Keats’s poem also alludes to the idea of death and immortality: At the moment of death, the lady appears to the knight and says she loves him “true”
	In 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' and 'La Belle Dame sans Merci' the speakers both allude to the otherworldly yet sensuous nature of romantic relationships

Topic sentence	Both poems can be considered classical and traditional in their presentation of romance
Evidence and analysis	'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)'	'La Belle Dame sans Merci'
	Barrett Browning uses a Petrarchan sonnet to allude to romantic traditions: The sonnet follows a traditional and sustained abba cdcdcd rhyme scheme	Keats uses a traditionally romantic lyrical ballad to present a story about a romantic relationship: The ballad has a regular rhythm that tells the romantic story like a song
	The speaker in the poem expresses intense love using archaic language to create a heightened tone: A caesura and a list presents an emotional expression of love: “I love thee with the breath,/Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose”	Keats similarly employs archaic language to create a classically romantic tone: Enjambment presents the tale dramatically The knight is described: “And on thy cheeks a fading rose/Fast withereth too”
	Both poets elevate the idea of romantic love with classical and dramatic presentations

Differences:

Topic sentence	'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' is a persuasive argument that pays tribute to love, while the tragic conclusion of 'La Belle Dame sans Merci' presents love as dangerous
Evidence and analysis	'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)'	'La Belle Dame sans Merci'
	Barrett Browning builds an assertive argument to prove the speaker’s love, using rhetorical devices: A question begins the poem, “How do I love thee?”, followed by an emphatic reply, “Let me count the ways.”	Keats’s poem creates a sense of confusion: The poem’s initial question “O, what can ail thee, knight at arms” creates uncertainty Keats creates an unstable tone within the knight’s dialogue: “—Ah! woe betide!—”
	The poem is a repetitive list that aims to convince the listener of their absolute love	In contrast, the regular rhythm of Keats’s ballad is disturbed to create an ominous warning: “They cried—‘La Belle Dame sans Merci/Thee hath in thrall!’”
	Barrett Browning concludes with a declaration that love that improves after death: The speaker enthusiastically says: “I shall but love thee better after death.”	The poem begins and ends with a dark conclusion, the knight is alone as he dies: “And no birds sing.”
	While Barrett Browning’s poem is a confident account of everlasting love, Keats’s romantic poem dwells on the brief love of a dying knight

'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' and 'i wanna be yours'

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both poems examine consuming and devoted love as they address loved ones. However, Elizabeth Barrett Browning presents her tribute to romantic relationships in a traditional sonnet, whereas John Cooper Clarke offers a post-modern interpretation of romance.

Similarities:

Topic sentence	Both poems depict a speaker’s intense declarations of love
Evidence and analysis	'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)'	'i wanna be yours'
	Barrett Browning’s poem is a direct address to an implied loved one: The repetitive “I love thee” conveys an urgent and persuasive tone	Cooper Clarke’s poem, too, is a direct address that conveys intense love: The poem repeats a desperate request to belong to the listener The speaker says “you call the shots”
	The poem begins offering an account of their love, “Let me count the ways.”: The poem then takes on a repetitive list of all the ways the speaker loves them This conveys the intensity of their love	The poem, similarly, begins with a claim, “i wanna be yours”: This is then supported throughout the poem in a list of ways they want to show their love to an implied listener
	The speaker in Barrett Browning’s poem conveys reassuring assertions with enjambment: “I love thee to the level of every day’s/Most quiet need”	Cooper Clarke’s speaker is similarly soothing: “let me be your raincoat/for those frequent rainy days”
	Barrett Browning presents love as all-consuming, to the “depth and breadth and height” their “soul can reach”: They love constantly, “by sun and candle-light”	Cooper Clarke offers a presentation of a love that similarly takes over the speaker: The lines “take me with you anywhere/i don’t care” imply an obsessive love
	The poems both show persuasive and confident speakers who assertively claim their passionate love

Differences:

Topic sentence	While Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s sonnet alludes to classical romantic traditions, John Cooper Clarke’s unconventional poem is considered post-modern in its presentation of relationships
Evidence and analysis	'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)'	'i wanna be yours'
	Barrett Browning uses a sonnet to allude to romantic traditions: The sonnet follows a traditional and sustained abba cdcdcd rhyme scheme to convey a controlled speaker	Cooper Clarke’s poem uses an unconventional form that uses half-rhyme irregularly: The rhyme “rust” with “shots” or “coffee hot” and “coffee pot” are imperfect The speaker sounds less than controlled, perhaps overwhelmed or simply careless with convention
	The poem uses iambic pentameter, the traditional rhythm of Petrarchan sonnets	The rhythm of Cooper Clarke’s poem is lyrical
	Traditionally, ‘Sonnet 43’ uses religious and spiritual imagery to imply the speaker’s love is pure: The speaker compares their love to “childhood’s faith” It is stronger than the love for “lost saints”	Imagery in the poem 'i wanna be yours' is considered banal or mundane: The speaker uses metaphorical images like cars, vacuum cleaners and electric meters to compare their love
	Barrett Browning’s poem elevates the idea of love, whereas Cooper Clarke shows love related to simple, everyday life

Exam Tip

Choose whichever poem you are able to make the most in-depth comparisons with in the exam. For example, you could choose to compare the presentation of romance in 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' and 'She Walks in Beauty'. Or you might wish to explore the idea of consuming love in 'How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43)' and 'i wanna be yours'. What is important is that you view the poems thematically, with a clear emphasis on relationships. This will give you a better framework in which to write your response in the exam.

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Sonnet 43 (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

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Author: Sam Evans