Now poem by Robert browning

Themes and emotions expressed

Passion, Desire, Intensity, Ecstasy, Connection of two lovers, Selfishness

Key ideas

Finding joy in the moment, Living in the present and making it perfect, Not caring about consequences, wanting to stay in the moment with his lover forever, a moment of perfect ecstasy.

overview of poem

1. Robert Brownings “Now” describes a moment of perfect immortalized ecstasy between two lovers and complete union and connection on all levels.
2. The poem is most likely addressed to and in celebration of his wife Elizabeth bennet.
3. Browning expresses how he wants this moment to last for all eternity and how it is the only time that matters. All that came before and all that will come is irrelevant.
4. captured in an improvisation on the traditional sonnet form, has a complex rhyme structure but still has the shift of mood/judgment at the end of line 10.

key techniques

1. exclamation marks imply excitement and spontaneity at the situation
2. dashes at end of sentences imply breathlessness (passion, intensity, excitement) as dashes are sharp and short at end of sentences. sharpness connotes spontaneity.
3. imperatives like “give”, ignore, make suggests a demanding sense- he is demanding this moment from her strongly suggests lust and desire. also controlling atmosphere as i can be taken as him demanding her for himself.

selfishness portrayed

1. “you love me” “you beneath me, above me” emphasis/focus on what she is doing to him and how he gets love from her but not necessarily the other way round. implies he wants this moment for himself and for what she can give him.
2. imperatives- demanding and controlling her for himself?
3. long sentences doesn’t give her time to speak or object so poem is showing her desires only his.

long sentences

1. continuous flowing and sprawling sentences leave no room for his lover to object or speak aswell.
2. make the poem and moment seem never ending, keeps it in the present as it never seems to stop. browning immortalized it.

effect on reader

we feel excited, passionate, inspired to live in the moment

pronoun structure changes

at the start of the poem there is repetition of you and yours, progresses into you and me, then finally repetition of our and we. progressive merging of the two peoples pronouns suggests them merging physically and mentally, becoming one in the moment, ultimate union

key quotes to remember

1. out of your whole life give but a moment
2. all of her life to have “gone before and all to come after it- so you ignore”
3. make perfect the present
4. in a rapture of rage for perfections endowment
5. thought and feeling and soul and sense
6. you beneath me, above me
7. the moment eternal
8. when ecstasy utmost we clutch at the core
9. cheeks burn, arms open, eyes shut and lips meet!

title connotations

short and direct which places us in the moment. short brief title doesn’t waste time and implies we shouldn’t waste time and seize the moment

out of your whole life give but a moment

1. imperative “give” is demanding,
2. on the surface is just asking for one moment from her but by comparing the short nature of a “moment” to a “whole life” which is comparably very long suggests that he is trying to convince her to give him more. one moment out a whole life is not much at all
3. short and abrupt opening line with an exclamation mark that emphasises the impportance of the urgency of the present

all of her life “thats gone before and all to come after it- so you ignore”

1. asks his lover to forget her whole life and that the past and the future are irrelevant shown by the verb “ignore” compared to the perfect loving moment they will have together - to reach this you have to focus on the present only


1. repeating “all” at the start of the lines which is the device anaphora gives his statement about forgetting all of the life emphasis

so you make perfect the present

the only way to make the present perfect is to forget about the future and past but live in the moment, the “now”, because one moment of perfect love is the most significant browning

in a rapture of rage, for perfections endowment

1. oxymoron “rapture of rage” he is not raging in love but indicates an intense explosion of passion and desire
2. this is shown in “rapture” meaning an intense feeling of joy which he feels in the moment and “rage” which is extreme anger implying the intensity and heated nature of their passion.
3. this moment allows them to realize and allow perfection. as “endowment” in this context can mean providing the ability to have perfection.

though and feeling and soul and sense

browning sees their love and connection on a cognitive, emotional spiritual, and sensual/physical level

you beneath me, you above me

1. physical imagery of becoming one in a sexual way, imagery of his lover giving him all of her on a sensual level.
2. spiritual imagery too of his lover totally surrounding him- he will be utterly lost in her and their love
3. selfish undertones as its emphasis of things she is doing to him

the moment eternal

oxymoron= the brevity of the noun “moment” and the endless nature of “eternal” time. shows his desire for this moment to be endless

when esctasy’s utmost we clutch at the core

1. the image = “esctasy’s utmost” describes the moment of ideal, perfect and true loving union on all levels.
2. they are grasping this precious moment and eachother, he is possessive of her and their moment shown in the possessive verb “clutch”
3. “clutch at the core” image of sexual union, “core” suggests a rooted, fundamental bond central to them

cheeks burn, arms open, eyes shut and lips meet!

final physical description of the two bodies meeting in a glorious expression of their union and harmonious love.


1. listing implies browning’s excitement and builds excitement for the reader
2. abrupt ending which doesn’t describe any end to the moment immortalizing it
3. exclamation mark implies excitement