Friday, October 14, 2011
Sidney and Love Poetry
In Chaucer's "The Knight's Tale," you will recall, Palamon and Arcite have a heated disagreement about Emily's nature--is she human or divine? Do you think Astrophil has basically this same conflict in his adoration of Stella? Can she be both to him? How does he express and then reconcile his conceptions of her? Use some specific examples from the sonnets as you explore this idea.
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Astrophil’s passion for Stella is clear through his writing, and I would say that he has a similar conflict in his adoration of her, as did Palamon and Arcite about Emily’s nature. For one thing, the fact that poets during this time often wrote about seeking an unattainable love coincides with Astrophil thinking Stella has out of this world beauty. Her name, also divine since a star is not of this world, also implies the idea of her being unattainable or not human. In sonnet 21, Astrophil asks, “Hath this world ought so fair as Stella is?” He is suggesting that there is nothing on earth that could be comparable to Stella’s beauty and overall characteristics. However, I do think she could be both to him, since he was able to receive one kiss from her. Although he does not end up with the love of his life, he has the continual knowledge that she once had feelings for him, which almost appears as enough for him in the end. Astrophil discusses how he must let her go, even though he is tremendously hurt, “I may, I must, I can, I will, I do / Leave following that which it is gain to miss / Let her go. Soft, but here she comes” (Sidney 47; 10-12). In his pain, he realizes how she knows how much she has hurt him, as he expresses in sonnet 45: “Stella oft sees the very face of woe / Painted in my beclouded stormy face, / But cannot skill to pity my disgrace, / Not though thereof the cause herself she know” (Sidney 1-4). After realizes he could not have Stella, Astrophil went through various stages of acceptance. In the end, he was able to realize he could be patient in his quest, “No Patience, if thou wilt my good, then make / Her come and hear with patience my desire, / And then with patience bid me bear my fire” (Sidney 56; 12-14). He fought a lot of personal battles in his love obsession with Stella, despite her not fully loving him back.
I think Stella is both human and divine to Astrophil, however, I believe she is more divine to him. Her name alone is a representation of divinity, a star, being a creation that is clearly an unattainable item for a human. In sonnet 28 Astrophil says, “When I say Stella, I do mean the same / Princess of beauty for whose only sake / The reins of love I love, though never slake” showing how highly he regards her beauty and his love for her. Throughout the sonnets, there are many references to nature and to various gods, which grants the work to have a more divine aspect. It is obvious that Astrophil has an extreme passion for Stella, and he seeks love and acceptance from this unattainable love. She does become human to the reader due to the fact we know that he does receive a kiss from her. However, he does not actually end up being with her, so she resorts back to being an unattainable love.
I think Astrophil definitely perceives Stella to be more divine than human. For one thing, he is the star gazer, so his name alone alerts the reader that he will never get anything any other privilege from Stella other than gazing away at her beauty. With that being said, since he can only watch her, his descriptions of the lady become rich and overdone. He goes into detail about her features and what she does to him, but that is until he steals a kiss from Stella. I think Astrophil's true view of Stella is demonstrated through Sonnet 91. At this point, Astrophil has lost favor in Stella's eyes and he says, "Stella, while now by Honor's cruel might/ I am from you, light of my life, mis-led,/ And that fair you, my sun, thus overspread/ With absence' veil, I live in Sorrow's night,/ If this dark place yet shew, like candlelight,/ Some beauty's piece, as amber-colored head,/ Milk hands, rose cheeks, or lips more sweet, more red..." He paints his view of Stella and in this sonnet, he is trying to replace the magnificent images he's painted in his mind. He can not view any other woman the same way he sees her, his divine ideal woman.
Mariah,
I like the timeline you made with how Astrophil and Stella's relationship progresses. At first he can only dream of her, then they share some romantic moments together, but it is then ended and he goes back to dreaming of her and idealizing what could have been between the two. I also agree how the kiss breaks that figment of perfection and divinity, how she is now capable of being seen as a human. I really enjoyed reading your comment!
In Astrophil's idealization of Stella, it is obvious that he believes that she is a type of goddess, encompassing divine qualities. His consistent mentioning of mythological concepts and the metaphors and imagery he uses to describe her beauty are examples of his intense lust and longing for her as an unattainable woman.
Stella's name in itself, "star," symbolizes something that is out of reach for Astrophil, the "star lover." The use of heavenly bodies as the description of a woman also lends to the idea that Astrophil believes that Stella is divine.
Lastly, throughout the sonnet sequence, Astrophil continually uses the sun metaphor for Stella. In Sonnet 89 he uses the words "night" and "day" to describe Stella's rejection of him as his world being a day without the sun now that Stella's light is gone. "Now that of absence the most irksome night/With darkest shade doth overcome my day,/Since Stella's eyes, wont to give me my day..."
To Astrophil, even when Stella is gone, she was the ideal woman who possessed divine qualities.
Mariah-
I had not thought about Stella becoming human to Astrophil after their kiss. I think that even after the kiss, he still idealized her, if not more. Perhaps the kiss only allowed Stella to seem human to Astrophil for only a brief moment.
Gabby,
I really like the way you explain that Astrophil’s name means star gazer, and he gazes at Stella for her beauty. You are right, since he only watches her, his descriptions are extremely over the top. While I was reading you comment, I couldn’t help but think back to elementary school when our teacher took us outside to watch the clouds and then later draw and write a story about what we saw. Kids would claim they saw pirate ships and all sort of different animals and creations. This is very similar to Astrophil, since he gazes at Stella then reports of her beauty. Well, at least this connection makes sense to me! :) I also agree with your ending sentence, that he was unable to see anyone else the way he saw Stella.
Astrophel's perception is divine, just as Arcite's was of Emelye. He compares her eyes to in the sun sonnet 76, stating that, like the sun, her eyes increase in brightness and fire until the noon hour, at which point Astrophel is completely dazzled in both heart and sight. At this point in the tale she is so unattainable to him that just like the sun he can't even look directly at her. Everything about her in his mind is not of this earth, even her name, as most have pointed out already, is not of this world. Meaning he can only observe her and never obtain her. But this isn't because she is truly al those things it's because Astrophel allows his emotions to get the best of him and overwhelm part of his life, eventually ruining his life. Just as Emelye did to Arcite.
Mariah,
I really like the connection you made between Stella's divinity and then her change to possess more human characteristics and then back to a character of divinity again. I agree that Stella is both to Astrophil, but in your comment, you discussed where exactly the lines of human qualities and divine qualities both start and end.
Gabby,
I like how you pointed out that Astrophil's name means star gazer. This fact really drives home the idea, in my mind that in his world she is divine and he can never attain her, she will always be out of reach. But while this does intensify her divine qualities, it leaves me more surprised Astrophil was able to steal one kiss.
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