Elizabeth Barrett Browning Divinity

When people think of divinity or of someone being divine, more often than not they will think of their God in whatever religion they choose to believe in. It is very rare that someone human is considered divine or is said to have divine ability, however, in Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem, “How Do I Love Thee?” she challenges the idea that a person, in particular their love, can be divine. People view love as a divine characteristic because it is something both God and humans express. Although God’s love is insurmountable because it is pure and everlasting, Browning suggests that her love for her partner is on the same level as that of God. In her poem, Browning uses repetition and stylistically capitalizes God-like words to suggest that her

With complete disregard for the gap in divinity between God and humans, Browning infers that her love is on par with that of God’s. Browning first introduces selective capitalization in the fourth line where she claims her love and soul can reach to “the ends of Being and ideal Grace.” The capitalization of “Being” and “Grace” in the context of this line suggests that her love extends the boundaries of humans and crosses over to divinity. The decision to capitalize “Being” promotes the idea that her love is greater than any person and reaches farther than any human love can reach. Similarly, capitalizing “Grace” gives the reader a sense that Browning possesses the God-like ability to give unending and eternal love. Browning continues her use of capitalization in the midst of back to back metaphors. Browning adds “I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise” (line 7-8). The capitalization of “Right” in the context of line seven suggests that even though men fail in their pursuit of perfection, she still loves her partner with a perfect love. This perfection in her love is comparable to