Anne Bradstreet's To My Dear And Loving Husband

In her poem “To My Dear and Loving Husband,” Anne Bradstreet earnestly expresses the depth and fervency of the love between the speaker and her husband. As the title suggests, the professed sentiments read like a vow or declaration of affection, dedicated to the speaker’s husband. Through her utilization of couplet form, various elements of figurative language, and abundant imagery, Bradstreet effectively conveys an intimate and elaborate proclamation of a woman utterly consumed by a love that is larger than life. The poem is written, primarily, in iambic pentameter and reads in the rhythmic, songlike manner that is typical of love poems. Astute implementation of anaphora, in the repetition of the phrase “if ever” (1-3) creates a timeless and boundless

Images of material wealth and luxuries are prominent in portraying the vast and unwavering affection that the wife feels for her husband. Bradstreet uses evocative images of “whole Mines of gold” (5) and “all the riches that the East doth hold” (6) to juxtapose prosperity as a typical human value with the wife’s sole gratification: the love between her and her husband. Utilization of these comparisons implies that no earthly possession is of greater value than her marriage. She believes that their love is not only invincible but also, priceless. By using the terms “recompense” (8) and “repay” (9), Bradstreet illustrates that the husband’s love is so wondrous that the wife feels somehow indebted to him, and unable to compensate him for it. Veritably, she challenges other women to attempt a love as great as hers in line 4. From the speaker’s viewpoint, the love shared between her and her husband has the capability to continue after ascension to “heaven” (10). The eternal love between them is what completes and defines her; to lose him would create a void that eternal life could not