During the 16th century, a double negative in English
only emphasized the negative, although in Latin, two
negatives did make a positive statement. Thus, for a
contemporary of SIR PHILIP SIDNEY’s, the sonnet’s vic-
tory is a sophistry—the speaker pretends to win by
rules that do not apply.
Structurally, this is an ITALIAN (PETRARCHAN) SONNET.
In the OCTAVE, Astrophil invokes “Grammer” (l. 1), urg-
ing a display of the power of the rules (the “vertues”);
children read with “awfull” eyes—that is, with eyes
fi lled with awe for the power of grammar—and so may
Stella (young Dove) recognize the true meaning her
words convey when they are viewed grammatically.
The rest of the octave describes Astrophil’s humble
petition (“with eyes most low”) of his powerful desire
(“with heart most high,” l. 5) and Stella’s reaction. Sid-
ney’s diction and syntax in line 6 create ambiguity—
“She lightning Love, displaying Venus’ skies”—and
anticipate Astrophil’s interpretation of Stella’s “No, No”
in line 7, even while they literally describe Stella’s blush:
Venus is the evening star, visible in the rose-hued sun-
set. Astrophil recognizes that Stella means to emphasize
her negative when he says she spoke twice in case with
only one “no” she might not be heard (l. 8). The fi rst
quatrain in this Italian sonnet is bounded by the
repeated “vertues,” fi rst Grammer’s, then Stella’s. As
Grammer’s rules will demonstrate the truth of Stella’s
words, so Stella’s own integrity (“vertue,” l. 4) will make
her acknowledge the validity of Astrophil’s interpreta-
tion, despite her intent to the contrary.
The SESTET begins with Astrophil invoking his muse
to sing praises and appealing to heaven not to envy
him in his triumph. Heaven and Grammer both should,
he asserts, recognize and confi rm with him that, by
repeating her “no,” Stella has, by all the rules, said “yes”
to his desire, because a double negative equals a posi-
tive. The use of ANAPHORA, repeating “Grammer” with a
verb or noun, in the sestet, act like a triumphant dance.
When he tells his muse to sing “Io paean,” Astrophil
alludes to OVID’s Ars Amatoria, quoting a phrase from a
passage where that poet expresses his joy that the mis-
tress he has sought has fallen into his hands at last.
This reference to a popular and available parallel
underscores the nature of Astrophil’s triumph: It is
both learned and conventional.
The irony of Astrophil’s triumph can be seen in the
poet’s choice of modifi er for (the unnamed) Stella:
“young Dove” (l. 3) aligns her closely to “children” (l.
2). The poet executes a subtle critique of his speaker’s
delight in Stella’s error of speech, ruefully recognizing
her innocence. The sonnet’s conclusion deconstructs
itself at the hands of its author. Its structure, based on
the two invocations and repeated confi dence in the
power of grammar, provides the strongest interpretive
element, and as grammar fails, so does Astrophil.
Sonnet 63 is tightly structured, painstakingly
argued, cocky, and full of sophisticated fun at the
expense of all love’s sincerity and serious understand-
ing. Its place within Astrophil and Stella, between a son-
net in which Stella urges Astrophil to anchor himself to
a virtuous course of action, and the First Song, which
praises Stella’s beauties and virtues, reinforces its con-
fi dent tone.
See also ASTROPHIL AND STELLA (OVERVIEW).
Marjory E. LangeAstrophil and Stella: Sonnet 64 (“No more, my
deare, no more these counsels trie”) SIR PHILIP
SIDNEY (ca. 1582) Sonnet 64 is a particularly good
example of SIR PHILIP SIDNEY’s dual purpose of telling
the lovers’ story and also of expressing English man-
ners and mores. In this poem, Astrophil presents his
case to Stella through the employment of a variety of
images, all of which are intended to demonstrate his
willingness to humble himself in order to retain her
affections. He begins conventionally enough, asking
her to desist in her constant refusal: “No more, my
dear, no more these counsels trie; / O give my passions
leave to run their race” (ll. 1–2). Then, in a cascading
series of lines, each punctuated by a semicolon, he
seems unable to restrain his emotions, begging her to
“Let FORTUNE lay on me her worst disgrace; / Let folk
o’ercharged with brain against me cry; / Let cloud
bedim my face, break in my eye” (ll. 3–6), fi nishing the
six-line outburst with the emphatic plea “But do not
will me from my love to fl y!” (l. 8). Directly following
this impassioned request, Astrophil seems to gain con-
trol of himself and turns to a more rational approach,
claiming simple humanity—“I do not envy Aristotle’sASTROPHIL AND STELLA: SONNET 64 57