Astrophil

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Astrophil Stella

• Sir Philip Sidney
• 1554-1586

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Sidney

• Was exiled to the country in 1580 by the Queen
  because of his politics
  
• challenged authority of the church and state to
  promote better government
  
• Exile left him extensive time to write.
• While in the Netherlands, fighting for the
  Queens interests, died from an abscessed bullet
  wound

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Sidney

• Considered a prodigy
• Works commented on contemporary moral and
  political issues
  
• His Apology for Poetry defends poetic and
  dramatic art from critics who would dismiss it in
  favor of philosophy and history.
  
• Astrophil and Stella illustrates the lovers
  paradox love may require chastity
  
• First literary work was a brief pastoral entitled
  The Lady of May, which was composed in honor
  Queen Elizabeth in 1578

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Sidney

• Known as the English Petrarch

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Sonnets

• Traditionally dealt with the theme of romantic
  love
  
• Dealt with the overriding concern of the self
  (speaker) and the other (mistress, friend, etc.)

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Astrophil and Stella

• His last work
• Composed in 1582
• Published in 1591 after his death
• Has often been understood as self-satire.

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Astrophil and Stella

• Made up of 108 sonnets
• Petrarchan manner with lyrics in different forms
• Petrarchan in depiction of the lady as a model
  and inspiration to a moral virtue that would seem
  to rule out any physical expression of love.
  
• Sidney however refuses to renounce desire and
  physical gratification

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Astrophil and Stella

• Principle character Astrophil is frustrated by
  the marriage of his beloved Stella to a man who
  is characterized as rich
  
• Modeled on Penelope Devereux, who was supposed to
  marry Sidney, but was forced to marry Robert,
  second lord of Rich in 1581.
  
• After finding out about Penelopes marriage,
  Sidney began to have true feelings for her (too
  late!)
  
• He later married in 1583

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Astrophil and Stella

• Stella
• From the Latin word for star
• Astrophel
• From 2 Greek words astro (star) phil (lover)
• Phil is also abbreviation for Sidneys first
  name, Phillip
  

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Astrophil and Stella

• Title implies couple
• Disjunctions
• Greek and Latin names
• Names suggest impossibility of their union
  because of the distance between them.
  
• Star and Star-lover

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Astrophil and Stella

• Critics and readers may empathize with
  Astrophils actions because he is driven by
  love.
  
• Laments about Stella
• Praise of Stella

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Astrophil and Stella

• Theme
• Hope to despair
• Sidney shows readers how a man can let his
  emotions get the better of him, leading him to
  eventual despair
  

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Astrophil and Stella

• Sidney mocks the young lovers passionate
  complaints while at the same time transforming
  the courtly figure of the distant, yet beloved
  lady to reveal a paradox
• as absent, Stella may be present to Astrophil in
  spirit
  
• as present, she can only deny him her intimate
  friendship