Anne Bradstreet's "To My Dear and Loving Husband" Analyzed

Introduction: Two Become One

Anne Bradstreet's poem "To My Dear and Loving Husband" is a simple yet deeply beautiful expression of love from a woman to a man, a wife to a husband, a lover to a lover. It exudes devotion rooted in a biblical idea of matrimony, which is made apparent in the very first line: "If ever two were one, then surely we" (Bradstreet 1). The idea of two in one flesh is found in Scripture (Mark 10:8), and this would have been well known to Bradstreet and her husband, since they were people of the Puritan faith. In a sense, Bradstreet is saying that she and her husband are the epitome of what the Bible describes when it speaks of two becoming one in holy matrimony. They achieve this bond because their union is rooted in love.

In this way, Bradstreet—who was the first published American poet—eloquently and romantically weaves her religious faith together with her genuine love for her husband. This is how she creates a piece that is at once intimately personal and yet, at the same time, extremely universal. It is universal because every pair of lovers has felt precisely as she does: like they were the epitome of the kind of love described in Mark, two become one. That is simply how lovers are meant to be when their love is pure and holy. The poem thus reflects the depth of this concept and the depth of her real affection; it explores the nature of love but also the nature of mortality, and the spell that the idea of eternity holds for those who love.

Tone, Rivalry, and Hyperbole

The speaker's feelings toward her husband are characterized by unwavering love, which is part of the ideal marital union. The poem's opening line immediately sets the tone for this unity, suggesting a perfect harmony that goes beyond physical union to a spiritual or soulful connection. However, there is also a tone of rivalry: "Compare with me, ye women, if you can…" (Bradstreet 4). There is a competitive zest in that feisty line—almost like a dare, as though Bradstreet knows that few marry as well as she has. She is perhaps not boasting, but she exudes confidence and uses hyperbole to show it: "I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold"—meaning she values her husband more than all the riches in the world.

Mortality, Faith, and Eternal Reward

There is a clear indication by Bradstreet that this love is temporary, however, because the nature of life on earth is that it must conclude with death. Yet, because of her faith, she believes that those who love will be rewarded with eternal life beyond the grave. Thus, she prays for her husband that he may receive such eternal life. She ends the poem by suggesting that if they love well here on earth, they may live forever in heaven.

It is a grand sentiment. Ultimately, her love is not rooted in its object—her husband—but in the faith that motivates and animates her. It is rooted in the love she believes God has for all people. This is the main thrust of her poem. It is a love poem to her husband, but ultimately it is also a love poem to God, because it demonstrates a strong faith in God's promise to reward with eternal life those who show charity to others. Her love for her husband is grounded in this charity. She prays for him out of charity. She seeks to edify her neighbors with her example. She wants to be happy in this kind of loving, charitable holiness.