Examine in detail the main ideas in Sidney's 'An Apology
for Poetry' and comment on its significance.
An Apologie for Poetrie may for purposes of
convenience be divided into sixteen sections.
1. The Prologue
Before launching a defence of poetry, Sidney justified his
stand by referring in a half-humorous manner to a treatise on horseman-ship by
pietro Pugliano. If the art of horsemanship can deserve such an eloquent
euology and vindication, surely poetry has better claims for euology and
vindication. There is a just cause to plead a case for poetry since it has
fallen from the highest estimation of learning to be 'the laughing stock of
children.'
Poetry has been held in high esteem since the earliest
times. It has been 'the first light-giver to ignorance.' The
earlier Greek philosophers and historians were, in fact, poets. Even among the
uncivilized nations, in Turkey, among the American Indians, and m Wales, poetry
enjoys an undiminishing popularity. To attack poetry is, therefore, to cut at
the roots of culture and intelligence.
3. The Prophetic Character of Poetry
The ancient Romans paid high reverence to the poet by
calling him Vates, which means a Diviner, a Prophet, or a
Foreseer. The etymological origin of Greek word 'poet' is Poiein, and
this means 'to make'. Hence the Greeks honour the poet as a maker or creator.
This suggests the divine nature of poetry.
4. The Nature and Function of Poetry
Poetry is an art of ‘imitation' and its chief function is to
teach and delight. Imitation does not mean mere copying or a reproduction of
facts. It means a representing or transmuting of the real and actual, and
sometimes creating something entirely new. The poet, so Sidney declares,
"lifted upwith the vigour of his own invention, doth grow in effect
another nature, in making things either better than Nature bringeth forth, or,
quite a new, forms such as never were in Nature, as the Heroes, Demigods,
Cyclops, Chimeras, Furies, and such like."
Commenting on the creative powers of the poet, Sidney further
states: "Nature never set forth the earth in so rich tapestry as divers
poets have done, neither with pleasant rivers, fruitful trees, sweet smelling
flowers, nor whatsoever else may make the too much loved earth more lovely. Her
world is brazen, the poets only deliver a golden."
5. The Three Kinds of Poetry
The three kinds of poetry, according to Sidney, are :
(a) religious poetry, (b) philosophical poetry, and (c) poetry as an
imaginative treatment of life and nature. He calls special attention to the
third class of poets, for 'these be they that, as the first and most noble sort
may justly be termed vates.' They 'most properly do imitate to
teach and delight, and to imitate borrow nothing of what is, has been, or shall
be, but range, only with learned discretion, into the divine consideration of
what may be, and should be.'
6. Various Sub-divisions of the Third Kind of
Poetry
Poetry proper may further be divided into various
species—the heroic, lyric, tragic, comic, satiric, iambic, elegiac, pastoral
and others. Poets generally make use of verse to apparel their poetical
inventions. But verse is 'an ornament and no cause to poetry since there have
been many most excellent poets that never versified, and now swarm many
versifiers that need never answer to the name of poets.'
7. Superiority of Poetry to Philosophy and History
In the promotion of virtue, both philosophy and history play
their parts. Philosophy deals with its theoretical aspects and teaches virtue
by precept. History teaches practical virtue by drawing concrete examples from
life. But poetry gives both precepts and practical examples. Philosophy, being
based on abstractions, is 'hard of utterance and mystery to be conceived.' It
cannot be a proper guide for youth. On the other hand, the historian is tied to
empirical facts that his example drags no necessary consequence. Poetry gives
perfect pictures of virtue which are far more effective than the mere
definitions of philosophy. It also gives imaginary examples which are more
instructive than the real examples of history. The reward of virtue and the
punishment of vice is more clearly shown in Poetry than in History. Poetry is
superior to Philosophy in the sense that it has the power to move and to give
incentive for virtuous action. It presents moral lessons in a very attractive
form. Things which in themselves are horrible as cruel battles, unnatural
monsters, are made delightful in poetic imitation. Poet is, therefore, the
monarch of all sciences. 'For he doth not only show the way but giveth so sweet
a prospect into the way, as will entice any man to enter into it.' The poet
does not begin with obscure definitions which 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 forsooth he cometh unto you, with a tale which holdeth children
from play, and old men from the chimney corner. And pretending no more, doth
intend the winning of the mind from wickedness to virtue.
8. Various Species of Poetry
The pastoral poetry treats of the beauty of the simple life,
and sometimes, of the miseries of the people under hard Lords. Why should it be
disliked? Elegiac poetry deals with the weakness of mankind and wretchedness of
the world. It should evoke pity rather than blame. Satiric poetry laughs at
folly, and iambic poetry tries to unmask villainy. These also do not deserve to
be condemned.
Nobody should blame the right use of comedy. Comedy is an
imitation of the common errors of our life presented in a ridiculous manner. It
helps men keeping away from such errors. Tragedy, which opens the greatest
wounds in our hearts, teaches the uncertainty of this world. No body can resist
the 'sweet violence' of a tragedy.
The lyric which gives moral precepts and soars to the
heavens in singing the praises of the Almighty, cannot be displeasing. Nor can
the epic or heroic poetry be disliked because it inculcates virtue to the
highest degree by portraying heroic and moral goodness in the most effective
manner. Sidney asserts that the heroical is 'not only a kind, but the best and
most accomplished kind of poetry.'
9. Main Objections Brought Against Poetry by its
Enemies
A common complaint against poetry is that it is bound up
with 'rhyming and versing'. But verse is not essential for poetry. 'One may be
a poet without versing, and a versifier without poetry' Verse is used for
convenience. It produces verbal harmony and lends itself easily to memorizing.
It is the only fit speech for music. It adds to words a sensuous and emotional
quality.
10. Four Chief Objections to Poetry
There are some more serious objections to poetry, namely :
(a) that
there being many other more fruitful knowledges, a man might better spend his
time in them than in this;
(b) that it
is the mother of lies :
(c) that it
is the nurse of abuse, infecting us with many pestilent desires; and,
(d) that
Plato had banished poets from his ideal republic.
11. Replies to These Objections
Sidney dismisses the first charge by saying that he has
already established that 'no learning is so good as that which reacheth and
moveth to virtue, and that none can both teach and move thereto so much as
poetry.'
His answer to the second objection that poets are liars is
that of all writers under the sun the poet is the least liar. The Astronomer,
the Geometrician, the historian, and others, all make false statements. But the
poet 'nothing affirms, and therefore never lieth,' his aim being 'to tell not
what is or is not, but what should or should not be.' So what he presents is not
fact but fiction embodying truth of an ideal kind.
The third charge against poetry is that all its species are
infected with love themes and amorous conceits, which have a demoralising
effect on readers. To this charge Sidney replies that poetry does not abuse
man's wit, it is man's wit that abuseth poetry. All arts and sciences misused
bad evil effects, but that did not mean that they were less valuable when
rightly employed. Shall the abuse of a thing make the right use odious?
Certainly not.
Sidney is rather perplexed at the last charge, namely
Plato's rejection of poetry. He wonders why Plato found fault with poetry. In
fact, Plato warned men not against poetry but against its abuse by his
contemporary poets who filled the world with wrong opinions about the gods. So
Plato's objection was directed against the theological concepts. In Ion, Plato
gives high and rightly divine commendation to poetry. His description of the
poet as 'a light winged and sacred thing' in that dialogue reveals his attitude
to poetry. In fact by attributing unto poetry a very inspiring of a divine
force, Plato was making a claim for poetry which he for his part could not
endorse. Not only Plato but, Sidney tells us, all great men have honoured
poetry.
12. Why is Poetry not honoured in England as it is
elsewhere?
Why has England grown so hard a step-mother to Poets?
asks Sidney. He thinks that it is so because poetry has came to be
represented by 'base men with servile wits' or to men who, however studious,
are not born poets. He says that 'a poet no industry can make, if his own
genius be not carried unto it'. Another cause is the want of serious
cultivation of the Poetic Art. Threeihings necessary for producing good poetry
are Art, Imitation, and Exercise which are lacking in the present generation of
poets.
13. A Brief Review of the State of Poetry in England from
Chaucer to Sidney's own Time
Sidney says that few good poems have been produced in
England since Chaucer. Chaucer did marvellously well in Troilus and
Cresseida. The Mirrour of Magistrates also contains some beautiful
passages. Earl of Surrey's Lyrics also deserve praise.
Spenser's The Shepherds Calender is worth reading. English
lyric poetry is scanty and poor. Love lyrics and sonnets lack genuine fire and
passion. They make use of artificial diction and swelling phrases.
14. Condition of Drama
The state of drama is also degraded. The only redeeming
tragedy is Gorboduc which itself is a faulty work. A tragedy
should be tied to the laws of poetry and not of history. A dramatist should
have liberty to frame the history to his own tragical convenience. Again many
things should be told which cannot be shown on the stage. The dramatists should
know the difference between reporting and representing. They should straightway
plunge into the principal point of action which they want to represent in their
play. There should be no mingling of tragedies and comedies, English comedy is
based on a false hypothesis. It aims at laughter, not delight. The proper aim
of comedy is to afford delightful teaching, not mere coarse amusement. Comedy
should not only amuse but morally instruct.
15. Advantages of the English Language
The English language has some definite advantages. It is
appreciable for its adaptability to ancient and modern systems of
versification. It admits both the unrhymed quantitative system of the ancient
poetry and the rhyme peculiar to modern language.
16. Summary
Poetry is full of virtue-breeding delightfulness. It is void
of no gift that ought to be in the noble name of learning. All the charges laid
against it are false and baseless. The poets were the ancient treasurers of the
Grecian divinity; they were the first bringers of all civility. There are many
mysteries contained poetry. A poet can immortalize people in his verses.
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