Sir Philip Sidney’s the Defence of Poesie

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The painter and other artists show the imperfect real world as it is in their artistic works. Similarly the mathematician and other scientists deal with the facts and figure of the material world without referring to the eternal truths and moral principles of the ideal world. It is only the poet who presents not only the imperfection of the actual world but the perfection of the ideal world also. That is the reason why Sidney places poetry on a high pedestal and counts it superior to Philosophy, History, and the other arts; Mathematics, Astronomy and the other sciences.

Sidney concludes in the following manner, “Now therein in allusiveness is our poet the monarch. For he doth not only shows the way, but giveth so sweet a prospect into the way as will entice any man to enter into it. He beginneth not with obscure definitions which must blur the margin with interpretations and load the memory with doubtfulness; but he cometh to you with words set in delightful proportion, either accompanied with or prepared for, the well enchanting skill of music; and with a tale for sooth he cometh upto you, with a tale which holdeth children form play and old men form the chimney corner.”

All the abstract virtues are delightfully and effectively portrayed by poets through their characters wisdom and temperance we find portrayed in Ulysses and Diomedes, valour in Achilles, friendship in Nisus and Euryalus. Similarly the abstract vices are also powerfully presented by the classical poets anger in Ajax, the remorse of conscience in Oedipus, the soon repenting pride in Agamemnon, the violence of ambition in the two Theban brothers, the sour sweetness of revenge in Medea and so on.

The historian fails to excel the poet because of his slavish treatment of unethical facts and figures of history. But the poet depicts the perfect world where virtue is triumphant and vice destroyed. So the delightful teaching of poetry through the charming pictures of moral precepts is not all useless to humanity. In fact, it is more useful to society than any other art and science because the moral virtues and other ideal principles taught, delightfully can establish order and peace, harmony and happiness in human society.

Sidney replies to the second charge of Gosson against poetry by stating that the poet does not affirm any truth but presents both the actual and the ideal worlds through fictitious stories an characters with the primary view to reform mankind by a delightful teaching of moral and ideal principles. Therefore, is not the mother of lies? In fact, some of the scientists may lie by authority. But poetry has nothing to do with lies; it deals with the eternal truths of everlasting bliss and prosperity.

Sidney Replies to the Charges of Gosson against Poetry

Sephen Gosson spoke of “Pipers, Players, Poets and Jesters” as “caterpillars of the Commonwealth” and pointed out that those caterpillars undermined the moral foundation of human society and drove people towards vice and sin.

Gosson considered the art of poetry and leveled four charges against it in his School of Abuse. The first charge was the uselessness of poetry to mankind: the study of poetry was considered a waste of time. In fact the defence of poetry has a history behind it. In the couse of its history many puritan critics condemned the art of poetry but many defended it. Shelley’s Defence of Poetry is a reply to Thomas Love Peacock’s attack on poetry in general and contemporary poetry in particular. Both Sidney’s Apology for Poetry and Shelley’s Defence of Poetry bear certain similarties in their subject and treatment. Similarly Stephen Gosson’s School of Abuse and Thomas Love Peacock’s Four Ages of Poetry resemble each other very much in their attack on poetry in general and on contemporary poetry in particular.

Sidney answers the first charge against poetry by saying that the end and aim of all learning is to impart virtue to mankind and move man to virtuous action. A moral philosopher fails to attract the multitude of humanity by the complexity of his subject and gravity of its treatment, subtlety of definition and dryness of language. But the poet delights the people means of musical language, effective image and symbols, interesting events and powerful characters.

Since the aim of the poet is to refine the animal nature of mankind as well as to control the devilish temptation to revolt against God, the poet is least bothered about historical facts and figures and the material truths about the imperfect real world where vice appears to be triumphant and virtue seems to be defeated.

Regarding the third charge of Gosson, Sidney states that poetry is not the nurse of abuse because its aim is moralistic and idealistic. Perhaps, some baser poets may abuse their wit to write the poetry of lust and scurrility. In fact, the poets who abuse the divine art of poetry are to be blamed and condemned and not the sacred art of poetry. Just as a sword is used, poetry can be used or abused by the poets. Much depends upon the character of the poets as well as of the reading public for whom the poets write their poetry. As a matter of fact, a poet is a product of the society in which he lives and reflects the spirit of the society for whom he writes his poetry. Therefore, the abuse of poetry is either due to the vulgarity of the poet or the vulgarity of the society for whom he writes his poetry.

The fourth and final charge of Gosson referred to the banishment of poets from Plato’s ideal commonwealth. Sidney answers this charge by saying that most of Plato’s philosophical works are poetical in their treatment of truth. Only by means of his poetical style did Plat become a popular philosopher with the reading public. Therefore, Plato did not essentially banish the poets from his wealth. Hence, Sidney concludes that Plato would allow the poets also for their emotional and imaginative treatment of ideal principles in their delightful works. Plato banished only the baser poetry written to please the vulgar spirits of demoralized society.

Thus, Sidney faces all the four charges of Gosson bravely and answers them wisely and convincingly.