Analysis Of The Poem Astrophil And Stella - 1692 Words

Sir Philip Sidney uses his poem Astrophil and Stella as an outlet for expressing the way that his personal and public life could be felt as unfulfilling, while also sharing the lessons he has learned from this. Astrophil and Stella is a poem centered around love that can not be fully attained. Sidney’s personal love life and his public political life could be seen as influences of the sonnets as they both have aspects of being unfulfilled, but Sidney’s view of poetry might seem to contradict the idea that Astrophil is a reflection of himself. The complexity of people can oftentimes be felt in their writing, but when analyzing this same writing the complexity is often forgotten. This is how Astrophil and Stella should be viewed, a†¦show more content†¦This obsession with Stella becomes a hinderance to his public life, as he can not focus on both. Though the obsession is controlling him this particular sonnet is important to the understanding of Sidney and Astrop hil’s private and public spheres. An observation that â€Å"As Astrophil mocks the automatic thinking of his public, he also reveals his participation in their world and their way of seeing†(Jones and Stallybrass 56). Sidney may have felt this same way in his own life. A participant in the public world, but not a full contributor due to his distractions and discouragements. Sidney had a long varied life in the political sphere. He took on multiple roles, including ambassador for his country s diplomacy. His long wanted desire for a protestant league was not achieved though, due to the unequal enthusiasm of Queen Elizabeth. This with a few other smaller defeats seem to be the theme of Sidney’s political career. Publically and privately, Sidney often felt disappointment. Astrophil’s frustration at his lack of power in the situation involving Stella could be a metaphor for Sidney’s desire to control political situations that he did not have the great est influence over. It could be tied in with other downfalls as well. Sidney’s relationship with Lady Penelope Devereux is commonly thought to be the inspiration for Astrophil and Stella. Sidney and Devereux were at one point engaged to be married, but the betrothal was broken offShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of Astrophil and Stella by Sir Phillip Sidney Essay824 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of Astrophil and Stella by Sir Phillip Sidney In Sir Philip Sidneys Astrophil and Stella Sonnet 1, there is an observable poetic structure that can be analyzed on a literal as well as a figurative level in an attempt to gain a logical understanding of the poem. Sidneys style of writing appears to be easily interpreted on a literal level, yet there is a deeper and more complex dimension of figurative elements, such as metaphors, that require further exploration and examinationRead More Structure, Theme and Convention in Sir Philip Sidneys Sonnet Sequence2061 Words   |  9 Pagessonnet sequence called Astrophil and Stella, a variation on Petrarchs Canzoniere. Sidney who was indeed acclaimed the English Petrarch, nevertheless wrote with his Elizabethan readers in mind as his characters spoke in English accents, voiced English concerns and evoked the spirit of the time. The sequence, which like all Renaissance sequences is not a realistic autobiography, is about a man, Astrophil who is attracted to and in pursuit of a married woman, called Stella. On stealing a firstRead MoreLoving Un Truth, and Fain in Verse My Love to Show1407 Words   |  6 PagesPhilip Sidney Analysis 1: 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 literal autobiography and questions of ‘sincerity’ are hardly answered, Sidney’s love for Stella, on the artistic level, has been traced to love-affair of the poet’s own life. Stella is said toRead MoreSir Philip Sidney and an Analysis of Six of his Poems Essay4370 Words   |  18 Pagessister Mary where he began to compose poems. In 1578 Sidney first discovered his passion as a poet, writing a masque called â€Å"The Lady of May†. Shortly afterwards Sidney got in a quarrel with the Earl of Oxford, which resulted in his being reprimanded by the Queen, reminding him that he was a mere gentleman and was far from the seventeenth earl of Oxford. (Kuin) Sidney then wrote his Arcadia, a Deference of Poesy (Apology for Poetry), and â€Å"Astrophil and Stella† or star and star lover while staying