Evaluate How Do I Love Thee as a sonnet Elizabeth Barrett Browning s - How Do I Love Thee is a classic sonnet from her collection Sonnets from the Portuguese This poem is about deep and eternal love It uses the traditional sonnet form to express strong feelings The speaker talks about her endless love which grows even after death Traditional Sonnet Form The poem follows the structure of an Italian or Petrarchan sonnet It has lines These are divided into an octave first lines and a sestet last lines The rhyme scheme is ABBA ABBA CDCDCD which is typical of this form The octave introduces the vastness of love while the sestet expands its eternal nature Iambic Pentameter The poem uses iambic pentameter This means each line has syllables with alternating unstressed and stressed beats This rhythm gives the poem a smooth and musical flow Deep Emotional Tone The