Sonnet XLIII (43 - 'How do I love thee?'), by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

'How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!'

Part of her misleadingly titled series 'Sonnets from the Portuguese', Sonnet XLIII contains one of the most famous opening lines in the canon of English verse. In this lesson plan, students explore the significance of the poem's theistic overtones.

The courtship and elopement of Robert and Elizabeth Browning is one of the most furtive and, above all, creative in the history of English literature. Rarely has forbidden love produced such a wealth of memorable verse.

In this lesson plan, students examine the poem's theistic overtones and learn about the context in which the poem was written.