Comparison of "How Do I Love Thee" and "To My Dear and Loving Husband"

Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "How Do I Love Thee" and Anne Bradstreet's "To My Dear and Loving Husband" are poems the authors use to describe unwavering love and affection. While one poem is written to a specific person, and the other poem is more abstract, these works both describe a love deep and devout. The common bond between these works, written almost 230 years apart, is their devotion.

These poems, "How Do I Love Thee" and "To My Dear and Loving Husband", were written by women in the 19th and 17th Century, respectively. While their lives were drastically different, they had a common bond. Both were women who wrote and showed their prose in a time when subservient roles were more common. During these time periods, women primarily worked in the home or in child care roles, not as writers and authors of literary works.

In Browning's work, she uses metaphors for her husband. When she describes the many ways in which she loves "Thee", she describes the limitless boundaries in which she loves her husband. Anne Bradstreet, conversely, is openly speaking to her husband in her poem. She describes her love for her husband using comparisons to the "riches that the East doth hold" (6).

The imagery used in these two poems is quite opposite, but convey the same message of unquestionable love. Browning uses Allegory to express her message. When she says " I love thee to the level of every day's most quiet need, by sun and candle-light" (5-6) she is expressing her love from the time she wakes up until the time she falls back to sleep.

Bradstreet uses symbolism in her poem. She compares her love to the "riches that the East doth hold" (6) and that her love cannot be quenched by even the strength of a river to a fire (7). She also compares her love to other women who claim to love their husbands, and she says "compare with me ye women if you can" (4), which alludes to her belief that no one can possibly love someone more than she loves her husband.

Both authors speak to a level of power that love can evoke. Anne Bradstreet depicts her love to be such that "the love is such that I cannot repay" (9), indicating she thinks she doesn't deserve the love that her husband shows her. She also says "the heavens reward thee manifold, I pray" (10), asking God to bless her husband many times over for the love that he shows her. In Browning's work, she reveals the power that her love for her husband holds over her. When she speaks of "I shall but love thee better after death" (14) she is saying that even though now she strives to show her husband such unequivocal love, that she will continue to try and show that love even better in the next life.

The power of love can at times be the strongest influence in a person's life. These authors express this influence as one of the biggest influences in their lives. By comparing trading the love of her husband for all the riches of the East or that his love is more valuable than the gold in the mines (5-6), Bradstreet has shown that she values nothing more highly than his love. Browning makes this point using more obtuse symbolism when she says "I love thee with the passion put to use in my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith". What she is saying here is that although growing old causes more challenges in life with health issues and other pressures of then modern day life, she loves him with even more effort needed to overcome her challenges. She's also comparing childhood innocence and that when a child loves, they love unquestionably and unconditionally.

The most obvious, and complex, component of these works of literary history, is the abstract idea known as "Love". While throughout each poem we find symbols and allegory relating the strength of the individual's love, a deeper look shows that these authors value that love over all other aspects of their lives. Anne Bradstreet is speaking to her husband in a tone of humility and obvious dedication. She indicates throughout the passage that he shows her love at such a level that its value is priceless. She indicates her hopes and prayers that he will be rewarded for the love that he shows her. Elizabeth Barrett Browning is speaking of her love for her husband. She describes how she loves him with all her being, "I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach" (2-3). She also talks about losing her faith when she says "I love thee with a love I seemed to lose with my lost saints" (11-12) but even that did not quench the love for her husband.

Bradstreet's poem could initially be interpreted as a love poem for her husband. However, her use of the phrase "compare with me, ye women, if you can" (4) shows that she intended her poem was meant for many to read. She wants other female readers to compare the love they have for their spouses to the love she expresses for her own. In contrast, Browning's poem appears to be written for her husband to read privately. She uses a more personal tone in the poem, and references spiritual beliefs that her husband might share with her.

Both authors have shown that they believe their love shared with their spouses is of an unquestioned quality. They both write with such passion that in the end, they hope that even after death, they are still with their husbands and can love them even better. These poems show that even during an era in history where women were generally not educated to the standards of men, and that they often had to write in secrecy, they wanted to show that women capable of writing fine literature. They show that by loving their husbands inextricably, they in turn felt the love that a husband should show their wife. These poetry selections show that love can be far more valuable and treasured in life than material things. We also can look into these writings and find ourselves wanting to enjoy the same passion and unbridled love that these poems evoke.