Being a female, I am always interested in the female perspective of a time period. It is always entriguing to read about how women used to live and what all they had to do. Since Elizabeth was one of the most well known female writers during the Victorian age, I was excited to read her work.
I first read "Sonnets from the Portuguese" and was amazed at the quality of her writing. I appreciated the beginning, and it reminded me of love.
Elizabeth wrote in a conversational piece between two lovers:
Man: "Guess now who holds thee?"
Woman: "Death"
Man: "Not Death, but Love."
I am not sure how we are supposed to interpret this part, but I thought it meant that she viewed his hold as the "death" of her. In a sense, love can be the death of someone. If it ends poorly, some people think they are dead or some may wish they were dead. When they become dependent upon one another, it can feel like the death of an individual and the rebirth on "two souls in one." I am not sure which she meant, or for that matter what she meant, but I enjoyed the symbolism in it all the same.
These sonnets are quite moving and very powerful. You can see how emotional she was, how in love she was, and how she was becoming more in love with each line. She wrote, "Seeing that I stand unwon, however wooed, And rend the garment of my life, in brief, By a most dauntless, voiceless fortitude, Lest one touch of this heart convey its grief," (530). She wants the man to repeat he loves her, and in these sonnets it is evident how much she loves him. She is trying not to fall too fast, and she needs reassurance that her feelings are met by his. She writes, "Say over again, and yet once over again, That thou dost love me," (530). Many women seem to need this confirmation of love, even in the present day.
In my opinion, this poem is timeless. People from the beginning of time to the end of time will all fall in love the same way. Anyone who has ever been in love can appreciate this poem, which is what makes it so good. I believe her husband was correct when he thought her poems to be "the finest sonnets written in any language since Shakespeare's," (530).
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3 comments:
Caitlin,
Very sensitive and insightful discussion of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's sonnets. You are doing a great job in your blog--you seem to have found a way to make your astute discussions seem effortless.
I enjoyed this post about Elizabeth Barrett Browning. I, too, like the female writers and find their viewpoints very interesting. All of the authors seemed to be very strong women. The love that Elizabeth and Robert shared was very special. I think Caitlin is right that Elizabeth was being very cautious in the beginning. She was probably protecting herself from being hurt. But Robert eventually convinced her that his love was true. It's such a sweet story.
I also enjoyed reading her poetry because I am a softy for romantic things. It is so clear like you said that she has fallen into a deep and great love. It is like the love just falls off of each poem with each line you read. I also really enjoyed reading this post.
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