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Sidney Love Sonnet

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Valuing Power During the Elizabethan Era, the English thrived in the ways of culture. Literature, poetry, theater, and music all saw tremendous advancement. Love sonnets became particularly popular due to the opportunity they offered their authors to express their most alluring desires, while sticking to the strict guidelines of a sonnet. One particular 16th century writer, Sir Philip Sidney, wrote love sonnets that followed the relationship of the desire-ridden Astrophil and the object of his affection, Stella. Poetry at this time often had political or religious influences, and Sidney’s work was no exception. Focusing specifically on Sonnet 69, Sidney metaphorically relates a personal experience to a political gain, suggesting that …show more content…

There was constant speculation over whether or not a woman was fit to rule, so a man no doubt would have stolen not only her power, but the people’s respect as well. In order to understand the political agenda present in the sonnet, one must notice the power Elizabeth I would have lost with a marriage, versus the power that Astrophil figuratively gained through obtaining Stella’s love. In order for suitors to gain power from either woman, the women had to have had power for them to acquire. Similar to Queen Elizabeth, Stella is portrayed as a woman of power and appears to be highly sought after. Her love was an indescribably, wonderful prize to the speaker, just as Queen Elizabeth’s hand in marriage would have been quite an accomplishment for any nobleman. Words such as “nobler”, “kings”, “covenants”, and “monarchs” are all present in the poem, not only alluding to the political agenda present in the work, but possibly Stella’s societal position. Elizabeth I was showered with ravishing gifts and compliments routinely by her courtiers. These men of her court sought to woo and impress the unattainable queen. This need to grasp the queen’s attention also pertains to the relationship between writing love sonnets and court politics as a whole under Queen Elizabeth. The frustration that follows loving someone and that love not being reciprocated was a vital aspect of much of the love poetry at the time. This popular

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