Sir Philip Sidney (1554–1586) was an English poet, courtier and soldier, the model of the Renaissance gentleman. His sonnet sequence Astrophel and Stella, his romance Arcadia and his Defence of Poesy were published after his death in battle at thirty-one.
Works
Astrophel and Stella
A courtier's education
Philip Sidney was born on 30 November 1554 at Penshurst Place, in Kent, the eldest son of Sir Henry Sidney, later Lord Deputy of Ireland, and nephew of the Earl of Leicester, the queen's favourite. He studied at Shrewsbury School and at Christ Church, Oxford.
From 1572 to 1575 he travelled in France, Germany, Italy and Austria. In Paris he witnessed the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 1572, which strengthened his Protestant convictions.
The poet
At court he served on embassies but fell from favour for opposing the queen's proposed marriage to the Duke of Anjou. Retired at Wilton, the house of his sister Mary, Countess of Pembroke, he wrote the romance Arcadia for her.
Astrophel and Stella, a sequence of 108 sonnets and 11 songs, tells the hopeless love of Astrophel for Stella, inspired by Penelope Devereux, who married Lord Rich. The Defence of Poesy argued for the dignity of poetry.
Zutphen
In 1585 Sidney was appointed governor of Flushing in the Netherlands, fighting the Spanish. On 22 September 1586, at the battle of Zutphen, he was shot in the thigh and died of his wound on 17 October.
His body was brought back to London and given a state funeral at St Paul's Cathedral in February 1587. His works circulated in manuscript and were printed only after his death.
Anecdotes
The cup of water
According to his friend Fulke Greville, the wounded Sidney gave his water to a dying soldier, saying: 'Thy necessity is yet greater than mine.' The story made him a model of chivalry.
A sister's edition
Sidney's sister Mary, Countess of Pembroke, revised and published his works and completed his translation of the Psalms into English verse.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Stella in Astrophel and Stella?
She is usually identified with Penelope Devereux, Lady Rich, whom Sidney might have married.
How did Philip Sidney die?
Of a wound received at the battle of Zutphen, in the Netherlands, on 22 September 1586. He died on 17 October.
What is The Defence of Poesy?
An essay, also called An Apology for Poetry, defending poetry as the noblest of arts, printed in 1595.