How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43)

Study Guide

Literary Devices

Structure

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Literary Devices Structure

Being an example of a Petrarchan sonnet, “How Do I Love Thee?” is structured in two parts. The first part, known as the octave, consists of eight lines that rhyme ABBAABBA. The second part, known as the sestet, consists of six lines that rhyme CDCDCD. Between the octave and sestet of a traditional Petrarchan sonnet there occurs what’s known as a volta. Named after the Italian word for “turn,” the volta represents a shift in the speaker’s thought or argument. Sometimes this shift comes through as a change in subject matter or frame of reference. Other times it manifests as a self-reflexive consideration or even critique of the sonnet’s first section. In the case of Browning’s poem, the volta marks a moment when the speaker’s description of love shifts from metaphysical abstraction to more concrete and personal reflection. The octave mainly consists of impersonal expressions of love. For instance, the speaker references abstract ideas such as “being” and “ideal grace” (line 4), and they associate their love with general notions of freedom and purity. In the sestet, by contrast, the speaker gets more personal and references major experiences in their life, such as a period when doubt clouded their faith.