Compare the speaker and her beloved in Sonnet 16 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning How do the poem's language and images affect your understanding of its two main figures. What is the central theme?

Answer 1

This is the poem, by the way:

And yet, because thou overcomest so,

Because thou art more noble and like a king,

Thou canst prevail against my fears and fling

Thy purple round me, till my heart shall grow

Too close against thine heart henceforth to know

How it shook when alone. Why, conquering

May prove as lordly and complete a thing

In lifting upward, as in crushing low!

And as a vanquished soldier yields his sword

To one who lifts him from the bloody earth,

Even so, Beloved, I at last record,

Here ends my strife. If thou invite me forth,

I rise above abasement at the word.

Make thy love larger to enlarge my worth.

Answer 2

The speaker in Sonnet 16 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning describes her beloved as serene and loving, while she sees herself as unworthy of such devotion. The poem's language and images highlight the contrast between the two figures, emphasizing the beloved's virtues and the speaker's self-doubt. The central theme revolves around the disparity between the speaker's perception of herself and the idealized image of her beloved, exploring themes of self-worth and love.