Examine in detail the main ideas in Sidney’s ‘An Apology for Poetry’ and comment on its significance.
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.
Comments
Post a Comment