| Step-by-Step Reading Strategy
1. Understand the Context o This poem is the first sonnet from Astrophel and Stella, a collection of love sonnets. o Sidney expresses the struggle of writing poetry to win his beloved’s heart. 2. Read the Poem Aloud o Sonnets often have musicality, so reading aloud helps with rhythm and emotion. o Pay attention to rhyme scheme (ABABABAB CDCD EE). 3. Identify Key Themes o Love and Inspiration: The poet wants to impress his beloved with poetry. o Creative Struggle: He finds writing difficult despite strong emotions. o Imitation vs. Originality: Sidney realizes true poetry comes from the heart. 4. Analyze Poetic Devices o Metaphor: “Studying inventions” (trying hard to be creative). o Alliteration: “Pleasure might cause her to read, reading might make her know.” o Volta (Shift in Thought): After reflecting on poetry’s failure, he decides to write with genuine feeling. 5. Link to Literary Tradition o Sidney follows Petrarchan sonnet conventions, expressing love through self-reflection. o His ideas influence later poets like Shakespeare and Spenser. |
| On the Poet |
| Ø Sir Philip Sidney (30 November 1554 – 17 October 1586)
Ø poet, courtier, critic, scholar, and soldier Ø His works include Astrophel and Stella, The Defence of Poesy (also The Defence of Poetry or An Apology for Poetry), and The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia. Ø At the age of 18, he was elected to Parliament as a Member of Parliament for Shrewsbury Ø Travelled to Germany, Italy, Poland, Hungary and Austria Ø Penelope Devereux later became Lady Rich, the inspiration for Astrophel and Stella Ø Giordano Bruno dedicated two books to Sidney Ø Edmund Spenser dedicated The Shepheardes Calender to him Ø He married Frances, the teenage daughter of Sir Francis Walsingham, the head of Elizabeth’s secret service department Ø In the Battle of Zutphen, fighting for the Protestant cause against the Spanish, he was shot in the thigh and died of gangrene later, at the age of 31. Ø According to a story, while lying wounded, he gave his water to another wounded soldier, saying, “Thy necessity is yet greater than mine”. Ø In biology and game theory, developed by John Maynard Smith, the Sir Philip Sidney game is used as a model for the evolution and maintenance of informative communication between relatives. Ø Sidney wrote The Defence of Poesy before 1583 as a reaction to Stephen Gosson, a former playwright, who had attacked the English stage in The School of Abuse Ø Probably composed in the 1580s, Philip Sidney’s Astrophil and Stella is an English sonnet sequence containing 108 sonnets and 11 songs. Ø The name derives from the two Greek words, ‘aster’ (star) and ‘phil’ (lover), and the Latin word ‘stella’ meaning star. Thus, Astrophil is the star lover, and Stella is his star. Ø He adopted the Petrarchan rhyme scheme |
| On the Text |
| Loving in Truth: Sonnet No. 1 in the sequence
Rhyme Scheme (Petrarchan): abab abab cdcd ee Meter Iambic hexameter, as in the first two lines of the poem. …..1…………….2…………….3………………4…………….5………………6 ……1……………..2……………….3…………………4……………….5……………6 Metaphor I sought fit words to paint (Sonnet 1, line 5) my sun-burn’d brain (Sonnet 1, line 8) Metaphor/Personification Invention, Nature’s child, fled step-dame Study’s blows (Sonnet 1, line 10) |
| The Text |
| Sonnet No. 1
LOVING in truth, and fain in verse my love to show, That She, dear She, might take some pleasure of my pain; Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know, Knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain; I sought fit words to paint the blackest face of woe, Studying inventions fine, her wits to entertain; Oft turning others’ leaves, to see if thence would flow Some fresh and fruitful showers upon my sunburned brain. But words came halting forth, wanting Invention’s stay; Invention, Nature’s child, fled step-dame Study’s blows; And others’ feet still seemed but strangers in my way. Thus, great with child to speak, and helpless in my throes, Biting my truant pen, beating myself for spite. “Fool,” said my Muse to me, “look in thy heart, and write!” (from Astrophil and Stella) |
| A Critical Discussion |
| Like other creative persons of the period, Sidney also came under the influence of sonneteering. Thus, a series of sonnets addressed to a single lady, expressing and reflecting on the developing relationship between the poet and his love, grew up. Though the story does not have to be a literal autobiography and questions of ‘sincerity’ are hardly answered, Sidney’s love for Stella, on the artistic level, has been traced to a love-affair of the poet’s own life. Stella is said to be Penelope Devereux, who did not or could not reciprocate the love and married Lord Rich. It is owing to the predisposition of the mind created by the Romantic tradition of subjective art that we sometimes relate and interpret the works of other writers of other periods before the Romantics to and in terms of their biographical accounts.
It is essential to remember that with ‘Loving in Truth,’ the Astrophil and Stella theme sequence begins. Significantly, the opening sonnet presents the dual theme of how to write good poetry and how to win the favour of a beloved. The poet even implies the question whether it is possible to a good poem aiming at winning the beloved. At the very beginning of the sonnet, Sidney makes it clear that he writes the sonnet in order to win Stella. Here he employs the simplest means, which any lover does, namely, the pain-pleasure-knowledge-pity-love method: “… she might take some pleasure of my pain; Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know Knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain”. The word ‘pain’ has, however, a double meaning here; in one sense it refers to the pains of love and in another sense it refers to the hardships of creative writing. This implies that poetry is not just inspirational or impulsive, but a long struggle with words, emotions and feelings. Theoretically, Sidney was influenced by both Aristotle and Horace. He believed that good poetry must both teach and delight. That is why he thinks that reading well-written love poems gives his beloved pleasure and knowledge of his sincerity and anguish. This would, in turn, make her pity him and pity would give rise to love. The poet confesses that once he had decided upon the means, he went on to paint “the blackest face of woe/ Studying inventions fine…” Here we come to an outstanding feature of the imagery of Astrophil and Stella—the device of personification, which was, in fact, a medieval practice and influenced the poets till the 17th century. Here, the poet also refers to the contemporary practice of imitating the words of other poets. However, he comes to realize that imitation without inspiration is futile. That is why he waits for “some fresh showers upon my sun-burn’d brain”. The image is an instance of Sidney’s innovative imagination. By ‘sun’ he refers to Stella or the source of his love, which has dried up his creative faculty. The poet understands that this forces him to halt. When Sidney says, “Invention, Nature’s child”, he follows Aristotle’s idea that art is an imitation of nature. In accordance with that equation, literary imitation, the product of ‘study’ has a secondary place in creative writing. Thus, literary imitation, “others’ feet” cannot provide the solution to the creation of original poetry. Here, Sidney’s comparison of creative writing to giving birth to a child is highly significant, and it contains a metaphor within a metaphor. At last a miracle seems to happen with him: “Fool’ said my Muse, “look in thy heart and write”. He comes to a sudden realization that only spontaneous inspiration can help the poet compose good poetry and win the beloved. When he looks into his heart, he will see the image of Stella, which will provide him with the inspiration and material he needs to write poetry. Thus, the last line of the sonnet turns out to be a direct statement of Sidney’s critical creed that great poetry does not result from imitation of other poets, but from the expression of personal experience and passion. Such views on poetic creation are similar to those of the Romantic poets. |
| Explanations |
| 1. What is a sonnet? Ans: A sonnet is a succinct fourteen-line poem, divided into two unequal parts; the first eight lines form the ‘octave’, and the last six lines form the ‘sestet’. Invented about the year 1230 in southern Italy, Petrarch popularized the form in his Canzoniere, and during the Renaissance, it spread to different parts of Europe.2. Who introduced the sonnet in England? Why did the form appeal to the Elizabethan poets? Ans: In the early 16th century, Sir Thomas Wyatt imitated Petrarch and introduced the sonnet in England. The sonnet amply supplied the Elizabethan poets with a form through which they could experiment with their language, English in an effort to bring in refinement, and also with a form which became a suitable medium to express the new kind of emotions, thoughts, feelings and sentiment that came to dominate the mind of a Renaissance European.3. What was the theme of a conventional Petrarchan sonnet? Ans: A conventional Petrarchan sonnet typically deals with an unhappy relationship between a man and a highly idealized woman. But sometimes it becomes a demoralised representation of the self, a problem arising out of the nature of secular love in its relation to the spiritual counterpart. For a solution, the speaker would seek final refuge in the Neo-Platonic theorising of love. 4. What is an Alexandrine? 5. Who is ‘She’ in Sidney’s Sonnet Loving in Truth? What does “Astrophil and Stella” mean? 6. Why did the poet seek “to paint the blackest face of woe”? 7. Explain the expression, “Studying inventions fine, her wits to entertain”. 8. “…if thence flow/ Some fresh…sun-burnt brain”. Why does the poet think that his brain has been burnt by the sun? 9. What does the poet want to convey by “Invention; Nature child fled step-dame Study’s blows”? 10. What is Muse? 11. What does Sidney mean by “blackest face of woe”? 12. Explain the meaning of the word ‘pain’ used by Sidney in the poem. 13. What does Sidney mean by “Other’s feet still seemed but strangers in my way”? 14. What does Sidney want to mean by the expression “helpless in my throes”? 15. “Fool…look in thy heart and write”. Explain the poet’s sudden enlightenment. 16. Do you find any of Sidney’s critical creeds in the poem? |
| MCQs |
| 1. Sonneteering was a kind of ______ both in Italy and England
A. Intellectual pursuit B. Fashion C. Heroic activity D. Learning writing 2. Sidney died in the Battle of Zutphen, fighting for the Protestant cause against A. The French B. The Spanish C. German D. Scotland 3. Which of the following is true? A. Sidney’s Astrophil and Stella was written as an appeal to Penelope Devereux B. Penelope Devereux may be an inspiration, but her place in the sequence is uncertain C. Sidney’s Astrophel and Stella ‘Astrophil’ stands for Sidney while Stella can be identified with Penelope D D. Penelope D directly influenced and encouraged Sidney 4. Sidney was a true Renaissance man in the sense that A. He was an example of true Renai-humanism B. He was a versatile person—poet, courtier, critic, scholar, and soldier C. He contributed much to the Renaissance in England D. He lived and wrote as per the Renaissance ideals. 5. Who supervised the authoritative production of the Astrophil and Stella? A. His sister, the Countess of Pembroke 6. Why do we find the titles sometimes different, “Astrophel and Stella” and “Astrophil and Stella”? A. Because in the earlier edition, Astrophel was used and later on Ringler modified it to ‘Astrophil’ for etymological correctness 7. Which of the statements is correct? A. Sideney had continental cultural exposure B. Sidney had bad relationship with the Polish administration C. Sidney died of a wound on his head D. Sidney married Frances and so could not marry Penelope D 8. Who introduced sonnet in England? A. In the early 16th century Sir Thomas Wyatt imitated Petrarch and introduced sonnet in England B. In the early 16th century, Sidney imitated Petrarch and introduced sonnet in England C. In the early 16th century, Surrey imitated Petrarch and introduced sonnet in England D. NOTA 9. How does modern scholarship view the autobiographical elements in Loving in Truth? A. With disbelief B. With certainty C. As a mixture of fact and fiction D. NOTA 10. What theme do you find in Loving in Truth? A. How to win the favour of a beloved and how to write good poetry B. How to write good poetry C. How to win the favour of a beloved D. How to learn writing 11. “… she might take some pleasure in my pain.” Pain has A. A double meaning here; the pains of love and the hardships of creative writing. 12. “Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know/ Knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain”. The lines reflect the critical theories of Sir Philip Sidney himself, as outlined in his seminal work, The Defence of Poesy (also known as An Apology for Poetry). Sidney argued that poetry serves a moral and educational purpose—it should delight, instruct, and move its audience. In these lines, Sidney suggests a progression: pleasure leads to reading, reading leads to knowledge, knowledge leads to pity, and pity leads to grace. This aligns with his belief that poetry can engage emotions, educate the reader, and ultimately inspire virtuous action. You can also trace echoes of Aristotle’s views from Poetics, where he discussed poetry’s role in evoking emotions (such as pity and fear) to achieve catharsis. Additionally, Horace’s Ars Poetica emphasized poetry’s dual function—to entertain (pleasure) and instruct (knowledge). Sidney’s theories merge these classical ideas with Renaissance humanism. A. Aristotle and Horace [art delights and instructs] 13. “the blackest face of woe.” Here we have a personification in the convention of A. The Renaissance writers B. Medieval writers [recall the Morality Plays] C. English writers D. Italian writers 14. “Some fresh and fruitful showers upon my sunburned brain”. By ‘sun’ the poet refers to A. Stella or the source of his love, which has dried up his creative faculty. [a kind of convention of the period. Stella=star=the sun] 15. When Sidney says, “Invention, Nature’s child”, he follows A. Aristotle’s idea that art is an imitation of nature 16. “Invention, Nature’s child, fled step-dame Study’s blows.” Here ‘Study’ means A. Imitating other poets’ writing [Here, the poet also refers to the contemporary practice of imitating the words of other poets. But he realizes that it is an imitation. We now call it plagiarism. 17. “others’ feet still seemed but strangers in my way.” ‘feet’ means A. Poetry, meant through part for the whole B. Poetry meant through part for the whole and the footsteps or conventions of previous poets C. Conventions of the previous poets 18. “Invention, Nature’s child, fled step-dame Study’s blows”. What is striking about the line? A. It contains double personifications B. It contains a metaphor within a metaphor C. It speaks of bad inspiration for poetry 19. “Invention, Nature’s child, fled step-dame Study’s blows”. What is referred to as ‘Study’? A. Sidney poetically introduces Aristotle’s idea of imitation [of nature], and distinguishes it from ‘study’, that is, literary imitation. 20. “Invention, Nature’s child, fled step-dame Study’s blows”. How, according to the poet, is “invention, nature’s child? A. Following Aristotle, Sidney tries to mean that art is an imitation of Nature, a product of spontaneous artistic creation, so it is the child of Nature. 21. “Invention, Nature’s child, fled step-dame Study’s blows”. How is ‘Study’ a ‘step-dame’? A. Literary imitation, the product of study, is a secondary derivative activity, and thus it is called the step-mother of invention. 22. What is the name of the muse of poetry? A. Urania 23. “helpless in my throes” is a A. Metaphor 24. “Fool…look in thy heart and write.” What is the meaning here? A. He understands that writing poetry in imitation of other poets will not help him in his purpose, and he has to be original in both subject matter and technique. 25. Does the poet sound somewhat Romantic in his realization of the true process of writing poetry? A. Yes. Sidney’s critical conviction that great poetry does not result from imitation of other poets, but from the spontaneous expression of personal passion, is similar to that of the Romantic poets Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, and others. |
Philip Sidney: Loving in Truth
