A Brief Overview of Sidney's LOVING IN TRUTH from His ASTROPHEL AND STELLA

 INTRODUCTION- Sir Philip Sidney's Loving In Truth is a poem of true-love which is taken from his Astrophel And Stella series. Let us dive into the Astrophel And Stella at first to understand the poem Loving In Truth better. Astrophel And Stella is Sir Sidney's celebrated sonnet-series that comprises 108 sonnets and 11 songs , depicting Sidney's love for Penelope whom he could not marry. The sonnets are addressed by Astrophel and they deal with his love for Stella. The poet himself is the  lover Astrophel and his ladylove Penelope is Stella of the sonnet-series.

      The sonnet-series gives a more or less connected theme of Sydney's courtship with Penelope. The earlier sonnets describe the growth of his passion for her , his inner conflict between will and wit, passion and reason, and his firm conviction of his profound love for her-"Yet true that I must Stella love". There is the further development of the sequence and the lover is assured of the love of Stella who gives him 'the monarchy of her heart'. The climax of the love-sonnets comes with Stella, after admitting her love for him, asserting that they must part. Astrophel, too, despite his deep agony, agrees to part from her, though he cannot cease to love her. 

 ANALYSIS:                                                                                                      (Octave)

I. The poet's vain efforts to please his lady-love: The poet, in his sincere devotion, desired to express his love in verse. He hoped to offer pleasure to his lady-love by his own poetic pain. She might read his verse for the shake of her pleasure. She might thereby come to know of his love for her. That, too, might lead her to feel pity for him and favor him with her grace and love. He, therefore, for this, sought hard to find appropriate words to express the feeling of his , which is much anguished by unrequited love. He tried to invent some art to delight the lady by his verse. So, he studied other authors to get enlightenment and guidance for his proper poetic creation, that would give entertainment to her.

                                                                                                                              (Sestet) 

II The source of true inspiration for the poetic expression:  But the poet could not express his creative , poetic impulse. No deep and serious study, no scrupulous imitation of great masters, could inspire his inner, spontaneous feeling. So he remained in the helpless pang of suspense and frustration. He was eager to express his love in the appropriate verse, but remained painfully mute to give out what he desired. But thereafter came his revelation. He realized that he should turn to his own heart, wherein lay his true inspiration. He may write then according to its dictates.

                                                                  Sir Philip Sidney

Theme:

The theme of Sir Philip Sidney's sonnet LOVING IN TRUTH is all about love- true love. The poet's argument here is to find inspiration for his verse to be written to please his lady-love. He seeks to show her his love for her in his verse, written in her praise. He tries thereby to delight her and to draw her attention. He hopes that this may ultimately win for him, her 'pity' and 'grace'. The poet mentions his frantic efforts to find 'fit words' to paint his deep pang, caused by love- 'the blackest face of woe'. His, scholarly labour to invent something fine 'to entertain' her wits, his attempt to find inspiration and guidance from other poets and diverse sophisticated poetic devices, however, bear no fruit at all. His creative urge torments him for finding no appropriate way of expression. He feels quite 'helpless' in his 'throes', 'biting' his 'truant pen' and 'beating' himself 'for spite', for his utter helplessness to express his desire in apt words.

         But the poet's revelation come in no time. He realize the secret of his poetic inspiration. This lies in his heart, and in no sophisticated invention or laboured imitation. The concluding line strikes the keynote of the poet's contention-

                         "Fool, said my Muse to me, look in thy heart, and write".

         Sidney's theme in the present sonnet is quite clear and well pronounced. It indicates categorically that the poetic inspiration has its seat in the depth of one's heart. It is roused by the feeling of the heart and grows round love. No external instruction, however formidable and scholarly it may be, no imitation, however deft and devoted it may be, can create the truly poetic impulse that dwells in the inmost core of heart only. Of course, this impulse is animated with love, and this, too, belongs to the core of the lover's heart. The central theme centers round expression- "Look in thy heart and write".