Sir Philip Sidney
Vital Statistics :
Born : November 30, 1554 at Penshurst, Kent
Died : In 1586 due to an unhealed wound
Namesake :Named after his godfather, Philip II of Spain
Siblings : Sister Mary (1561), who later became Countess of Pembroke;
Brother Robert (1563), who later became Earl of Leicester, married wealthy Barbara Gamage (first cousin to Sir Walter Ralegh), and had a daughter, Mary (Wroth)
Family Tree : Son of Sir Henry Sidney, thrice governor of Ireland;
Nephew of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (one of Elizabeth's "boyfriends")
Education : Attended the Shrewsbury School (one of the most elite private schools in England) for four years (1564 - 1568);
Attended Christ Church in Oxford for four years (1568 - 1571) without taking a degree;
Finished his education by travelling to places such as Paris, Venice, and Vienna
Life in England
Returned to England in 1575, where he attended the court of Elizabeth I as a prominent courtier, ambassador, member of Parliament, and joint Master of Ordinance
Was sent to the German Emperor & Prince of Orange in 1577 to console the princes on the deaths of their fathers and to "feel out" the people of these places regarding Protestantism
Upon his return to the court, Elizabeth I decided to keep him home due to his radical Protestant ideas - this lead to him never being given responsibilities that matched his abilities or connections within the court
Encouraged authors to write, most notably Edmund Spenser, who wrote Amoretti
In 1580 he was dismissed from the court for displeasing the queen and retreated to his sister Mary Herbert's (Countess of Pembroke) estate near Salisbury, Wiltshire
In 1585 he was summoned back to court after attempting to sail with Sir Francis Drake to the West Indies and was appointed governor of Flushing (Netherlands)
In 1586 he was wounded in the fight against the Spanish at Zutphen (which did not heal and ultimately caused his death)
The Man
Well read in the classics and in contemporary literature, philosophy, and history
Knew Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, "gentleman's" Greek
Married Frances Walsingham in 1583
True Renaissance man, who "valued a life of thought and action on a grand scale" (Donald Stump) by attending plays, constantly reading, studying military tactics and fighing as a soldier, encouraging artists, musicians, poets, historians, philosophers, and participating in the court
Was said to exemplify the ideal courtier
Works
His works were not published while he was alive, manuscripts were circulated among friends and family, however, it was not until about a decade after his death that his works became widely available.
He was widely imitated, especially in sonnets, chivalric romances, and pastoral eclogues, after his works were published.
The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia - 1590 - was written for his sister during his stay at her estate.
Astrophil and Stella - 1591 - was written about Penelope Devereux (later Lady Rich).
The Defense of Poesy - 1595
An Apology for Poetry - 1595
Astrophil & Stella
Considered to be a sonnet cycle because it tracks the rise and fall of a relationship in continuous, linked sonnets
Includes 108 sonnets and 11 songs, which are dispersed throughout the cycles, and the only place where Stella's voice is heard
Said to be written about Penelope Devereux (later Lady Rich)
The name "Stella" means 'star' in Latin, and the name "Astrophil" comes from two Greek words, astro ('star') + phil ('lover')
Said to be written in 'sprezzatura,' or in solitude, where the work is concealed and the artist is in a self-deprecating state
When Sidney wrote A&S there were no other sonnet sequences written in English
Served as a model for Spenser, Shakespeare, and other poets' sonnet sequences
Rhyme scheme in sonnets varies - a b b a a b b a c d c d e e (9; 108) or a b a b b a b a c c d e e d (87); Rhyme scheme in songs is typically a a b b c c (4) or a b a b c (11)
Alliteration used sparingly, for emphasis (87)
Links
Donald Stump's Site
Encyclopedia.com article
Luminarium
Latech.edu A&S site
Goucher.edu Sidney site
Created for Professor Steele's Engl228 summer 2002 course
For my personal site, click here:)