How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43): Key Poetic Devices

Anaphora

Anaphora (ann-AF-uh-rah) is a rhetorical device that involves the use of the same word or phrase to begin a series of linked clauses or sentences. In “How Do I Love Thee?,” anaphora shows up in the use of the phrase “I love thee,” which repeats seven times in eleven lines (lines 2–13):

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.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
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,
Smiles, tears, of all my life.

Browning uses anaphora as a strategy that’s closely connected to the device of enumeration (see below). Enumeration simply refers to the act of listing, where the addition of new items creates an impression of accumulation. That accumulation is explicitly indicated in the opening line, which frames the poem: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” With this, the speaker invites their beloved—and the reader—to count with them, and the repeating phrase “I love thee” serves as a device that aids in the counting. Every time the speaker says these words, simply add another number to the total!

Enjambment

The term enjambment (en-JAM-ment) refers to the technique in which one poetic line flows continuously to the next without stopping. Browning uses enjambment frequently in this Petrarchan sonnet, and particularly in the octave that constitutes its first formal section (lines 1–8):

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.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

Three of the lines in this passage are enjambed, and it’s worth observing that two of those instances of enjambment are consecutive. Lines 2 and 3 are both enjambed, which is especially noteworthy considering that lines 2–4 form a single long sentence. The use of enjambment in these lines gives an impression of breathlessness, as if, in their ardor, the speaker is rushing to express their feelings. This impression of breathlessness is especially noticeable in contrast with the poem’s opening line, which has a strong midline pause and an end stop, both of which slow the speaker down. Through enjambment, by contrast, the speaker’s language accelerates in a way that amplifies their overall feeling of passion for their beloved. In this way, Browning’s use of enjambment is closely tied to her use of anaphora and enumeration.

Enumeration

Enumeration—which is sometimes referred to by its Latin name, enumeratio—is a rhetorical technique that essentially involves the making of lists. Through the act of listing, enumeration creates a sense of amplification that expands and enriches whatever issue or matter is under discussion. Enumeration can take numerous forms and have different kinds of effects. In the case of Browning’s sonnet, enumeration has an intensifying effect that highlights the speaker’s impassioned love for their beloved. Significantly, the speaker’s famous opening line frames the entire poem as an act of enumeration: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” What follows is, predictably, a list of the different forms the speaker’s love for their beloved takes (lines 2–8):

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.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

Each new description of love adds to the previous descriptions, creating an overall impression of accumulation. The various descriptions of love in the octave build a sense of intensity until finally, in the sestet, the speaker explicitly uses the word “passion” (line 9) to characterize their love.

Rhetorical Question

Rhetorical questions aren’t generally meant to be answered. Rather, writers use them to make a point or create a dramatic effect. In this sonnet, the speaker begins by posing a question that seems primarily rhetorical in its effect: “How do I love thee?” (line 1). In an interesting twist, however, the speaker answers their own question at length. Indeed, after announcing, “Let me count the ways” (line 1), the speaker goes on to do just that, enumerating the variety of forms the love for their beloved takes. If a rhetorical question is, by definition, a type of question that isn’t meant to be answered, then, given that the speaker answers it, what exactly qualifies the poem’s opening query as “rhetorical”? The answer lies in the overall function of this question. Though answered, this question is more tactical than genuine. That is, its primary function here is simply to give the speaker an excuse to gush about their beloved. In essence, the speaker asks themself a question as a strategy for justifying their outpouring of amorous feeling.

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