Apology for Poetry

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Recommended: An apology of poetry critical analysis

An “Apology for Poetry” is a compelling essay refuting the attack on poetry by Puritan and fundamentalist Stephen Gosson. This complex article written by Sir Phillip Sidney represents the decisive rebuttal defending poetry. His strong emotive passages defend the uncongenial comments of poetry from Gosson. Although, his justification for the rebuttal is alluded to Gosson’s durable attacks on poetry; it is known Gosson’s remarks prompt Sidney’s attitude to defend not only against Gosson but as well as Plato. Stephen Gosson’s Puritan credentials, disregards him as the primary source for submitting the essay.

Sidney addresses the poetic contributions and principles demonstrated by Aristotle, Plato, and other European scholars. Plato’s Republic implements most of the poetic knowledge Sidney reinforces in his defense. The abundance of sciences portrays significant purposes in life; Sidney concedes poetry as a superior subject. Sidney conveys several rational ideologies to sustain the defense of poetic theory. Poetics is subjected through the emphasis of imitation, generates purposes of learning, objects history and philosophy, and educates observers on knowledge, virtue and practical conceptions of poetry.

The influence of Plato and Aristotle on Sir Philip Sidney’s concise essay reinforces a substantial argument defending poetry. His advocacy on poetry is primarily constituted on the theories of Aristotle’s poetics, as well as the acceptance on Plato’s poetic contribution. The function and form of poetry according to the theories of Platonism is defended and reconciled by Sidney. Further words and sanctions from Aristotle provide ammunition in support of the defense. Plato’s considerable concern had been with the education of men a...

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...eral concepts from other authors. He maintains the concept to all knowledge is religious: “to restore the soul as much of its lost perfection as is possible”, a condition of enlightenment that aspires the soul into a state of felicity. The soul is lifted up from the boundaries of moral consciousness:

Learning, under what name soever it come forth, or to what immediate end soever it be directed, the final end is to lead and draw us to as high a perfection as our degenerate souls, made worse by their clay lodgings, can be capable of. For some that thought this felicity principally to be gotten by knowledge, and no knowledge to be so high and heavenly as acquaintance with the stars, gave themselves to Astronomy… (An Apology for Poetry ).

Sidney’s final recommendation to end education is soul searching, finding the inner happiness that leads to perfection.

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