About
Philip Sidney, born on 30 November 1554 at Penshurst (Kent), is a major figure of the Elizabethan Renaissance. Son of Sir Henry Sidney, he was educated at Shrewsbury and Oxford, then traveled in Europe. He served Queen Elizabeth I as ambassador and politician. Author of the sonnet sequence *Astrophil and Stella*, the pastoral romance *Arcadia*, and the essay *A Defence of Poesie*, he published nothing during his lifetime. Mortally wounded at the Battle of Zutphen in 1586, he died at age 31, becoming a symbol of the Elizabethan hero.
* 1554-11-28 — † 1586-10-17
Major works
- Astrophil and Stella (1591)sonnet sequence
- The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia (1590)pastoral romance
- A Defence of Poesie (1595)literary criticism essay
- The Lady of May (1578)masque
Key milestones
- 1572Witnessed the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in Paris.
- 1583Knighted and married Frances Walsingham.
- 1586Mortally wounded at the Battle of Zutphen.
Themes
Courtly loveHeroismPoetry and defense of literaturePolitics and dutyNeoplatonism
Sources: britannica.com · emlo-portal.bodleian.ox.ac.uk · catdir.loc.gov