fundamental to SIR PHILIP SIDNEY’s Astrophil and Stella;
it underlies many of his occasions for poetry. For the
time being, however, Astrophil wants simply to rejoice
in being granted the monarchy of Stella’s heart. The
last three lines foretell of the sonnets to follow, which
explore the role of poetry in joy and the constraints
virtue places on a lover’s desires.
The images Sidney has heaped on the OCTAVE of this
ITALIAN (PETRARCHAN) SONNET are images of change,
growth, and fl uidity. Astrophil speaks of the “Oceans
of delight” fl owing within him, and asks to “powre”
(pour) himself upon the friend who has stood by him
through all the miseries leading up to this moment (ll.
4–6). Winter has given way to an amazing spring. All
of these images appear to contradict the speaker com-
plaining that he lacks the “high stile” to celebrate
appropriately. The entire octave is built of APOSTRO-
PHEs: In turn, Astrophil calls upon personifi ed joy,
bliss, envy, and his friend, each to contribute appropri-
ately to his delightful mood of conquest.
The SESTET turns on images of monarchy: Stella has
promised (given “with words”) the rule of her heart to
Astrophil (l. 10); he can say she is his: “I, I, I may say,
that she is mine” (l. 11), and the repetition of the I
illustrates his dawning awareness that it is, indeed, he
and no other to whom this power over his beloved’s
heart has been given. The conventional SYNECDOCHE of
heart for the whole of Stella’s love allows Astrophil to
become monarch of her through her love for him. Only
in the last three lines does he acknowledge the stipula-
tion Stella imposes; he rules her heart only “while ver-
tuous course I take” (l. 13), a condition he brushes off
by shrugging “No kings be crown’d, but they some
covenants make” (l. 14). For this sonnet, Astrophil is
more impressed with the power over her heart Stella
has given him than with the fact of love.
See also ASTROPHIL AND STELLA (OVERVIEW).
Marjory E. Lange
Astrophil and Stella: Sonnet 71 (“Who will in
fairest book of Nature know”) SIR PHILIP SIDNEY
(ca. 1582) Using a variation of the ITALIAN
(PETRARCHAN) SONNET, the rhyme scheme in Sonnet 71
follows an OCTAVE and SESTET pattern of abbaabba,
cdcdee. However, the sense of the poem is closer to the
ENGLISH SONNET form of three QUATRAINs and a COUPLET,
with a signifi cant variation that creates confl ict between
the rhyme scheme and the syntax of the poem: The
fi nal line of the third quatrain works with the closing
couplet to provide the resolution of the situation set up
in the initial 11 lines.
The speaker begins by stating to a general audi-
ence that anyone who wants to know how Virtue and
beauty can coexist in Nature should turn to Stella,
whose “fair lines... true goodness show” (l. 4).
These “lines” can refer either to the lines (as in a
drawing) that create the image that is Stella, or to the
lines of text in the book of Nature that is Stella, mak-
ing her a poem in that book that provides instruction
through delight. In the lines that are Stella, the reader
will fi nd vices overthrown by sweet reason instead of
“rude force” (l. 6), when the light of reason from the
sun shining in her eyes scares away the owls that are
emblematic of various vices. The sestet then turns
the speaker’s attention to Stella herself, who, “not
content to be Perfection’s heir” (l. 9), tries to push all
who admire her good qualities toward manifesting
those qualities themselves. The speaker concludes by
acknowledging that Stella’s beauty encourages his
heart to love her, her Virtue keeps the focus on
proper acknowledgement of that love, and his Desire
cries out for more in their relationship. The sestet
introduces Platonic concepts of perfection (which
include nonsexual love), but the fi nal line undercuts
these as amorous passion searches its “food” (l. 14)—
the beloved’s love. The speaker is thereby distracted
by Desire and cannot enjoy reading Virtue in the
book that is Stella. In this way, Astrophil uses what is
referred to as moral sophistry, a misleadingly sound
argument, to present his true desire. Reason and
logic do not allow him to extinguish his desire for
this woman, which represents the poet’s departure
from the Petrarchan convention of a chaste and an
ideal love.
See also ASTROPHIL AND STELLA (OVERVIEW).
FURTHER READING
Scanlon, James J. “Sidney’s Astrophil and Stella: ‘See What It
Is to Love’ Sensually!” SEL 16, no. 1 (1976): 65–74.
Peggy J. HueyASTROPHIL AND STELLA: SONNET 71 59