AQA Love and Relationships

Sonnet 29 - 'I think of thee' Quotes3 key quotes with full analysis.

A passionate sonnet in which the speaker longs for her beloved's physical presence over mere thoughts of him.

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Context

From Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850), written for her husband Robert Browning. Celebrates intense, physical romantic love.

All Sonnet 29 - 'I think of thee' Quotes

“I think of thee! - my thoughts do twine and bud about thee, as wild vines, about a tree”
Longing and DesireRomantic Love

Context: The opening of the sonnet, describing how thoughts of her beloved grow.

Analysis

The natural simile of "wild vines" growing around a "tree" presents her thoughts as organic, abundant and slightly overwhelming. The verbs "twine and bud" suggest fertile, living love. Yet the image hints that thoughts can obscure the real person, setting up the poem's argument.

Language Techniques:

Extended metaphorNatural imageryEnjambment

Exam Tip

Use for intense romantic longing. Note how she then rejects mere "thoughts" in favour of his physical presence.

“I will not have my thoughts instead of thee”
Longing and DesireRomantic Love

Context: The volta, where she rejects thoughts in favour of the real man.

Analysis

The emphatic "I will not" marks a turn from imagination to physical desire — she wants the real man, not just thoughts of him. This subverts the convention of pining from afar, asserting active female desire. Barrett Browning celebrates physical, present love over idealisation.

Language Techniques:

VoltaAssertive tonePetrarchan sonnet form

Exam Tip

Key quote for physical desire and female agency. Compare the longing with the persuasion in Love's Philosophy.

“I do not think of thee - I am too near thee”
Romantic Love

Context: The final line, imagining the beloved's presence.

Analysis

The paradox of not "thinking" because she is "too near" shows that real presence surpasses imagination entirely. The dash mimics the closeness and breathlessness of being together. The poem resolves longing through fulfilment, ending in intimacy.

Language Techniques:

ParadoxCaesura (dash)Resolution

Exam Tip

Strong closing quote — desire fulfilled. The dash visually closes the distance between the lovers.

Compare Sonnet 29 - 'I think of thee' With…

In the exam you compare two poems on a shared theme. These poems share themes with Sonnet 29 - 'I think of thee':

When We Two PartedLord ByronLove's PhilosophyPercy Bysshe ShelleyPorphyria's LoverRobert BrowningLetters from YorkshireMaura Dooley

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View key quotes and analysis for all 15 poems in the AQA anthology.

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