A Defence of Poesie and Poems

Philip Sidney was a 16th century prominent British figure. He was a poet, courtier, and soldier. Sindey was the author of Astrophil and Stella (1591), The Defence of Poetry (or An Apology for Poetry, (1595), and The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia (1590). In 1581 Sidney wrote A Defence of Poesie a. k. a. An Apology to Poetry. His defense is that poetry, by combining the liveliness of history with the ethical focus of philosophy, is more effective than history or philosophy in rousing its readers to virtue. Sidney also offers important comments on Edmund Spenser and the Elizabethan stage.