Ever since the Greek philosopher Plato banished them from his ideal commonwealth, poets such as Sir Philip Sidney have attempted to defend their work by arguing that poetry and its use of language combines the vividness of history and the ethical orientation of philosophy while simultaneously calling readers to virtue. Plato believed that poets aroused unworthy emotions that strayed from reason and logic, rendering poetry useless and potentially detrimental to the stability of his harmonious society. Yet Sir Philip Sidney convincingly combats these widespread claims against the legitimacy of poetry by asserting that poetry can be used as a guide to morality and virtue in his article The Defense of Poesy. In particular, Sidney focuses on two of these controversies: “First, there are many other fruitful acquaintances in which a man might better spend his time than in this. [And] Second, that it is the mother of lies” (967). While Sydney responds to each of these statements in this play, most significantly, he uses the characterization of Astrophil in Astrophil and Stella and the comic elements of Arcadia from The Countess of Pembroke to illustrate his belief that the importance of fiction lies in its ability to imitate reality while teaching virtue. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In Astrophil and Stella, Sidney uses Astrophil's characterization and his progression through the sonnets to reveal the righteous lesson behind the play. For the majority of the work, Astrophil is obsessed with Stella's beauty and his inability to make her fall in love with him. He reveals the source of his regret when he declares: “O me, I could, / And then I would not, or I could not, see my happiness: / Until now, enveloped in a most hellish night / I think the day is heavenly. , miserable, I failed” (Sonnet 33 ll. 1-3). Sidney points out the importance of Astrophil's missed opportunity to make Stella fall in love with him before marrying another man, as it was the initial event that led Astrophil to his current state of misery. The fault lies entirely with Astrophil as he only realized her love when it was too late, but he still pines for her and immorally hopes that she will compromise her own virtue for his pleasure. It is only when Stella openly rejects Astrophil that he rationally realizes that his dreams will never come true. His love for her was sinful from the start and even Stella's affection for him cannot undo Astrophil's initial mistake. The moral lesson that Astrophil learns in Astrophil and Stella exemplifies the kind of learning that Sidney declares that only poetry can teach in The Defense of Poetry. The first imputation that Sidney rejects in his response to the accusations against poetry is that there is more "fruitful knowledge" (967) to be learned than poetry. Sidney responds to this statement that “no learning is so good as that which teaches and incites to virtue; and no one can both teach and arouse as much as poetry” (967). Although history and philosophy are important aspects of education, Sidney believes that the emotional response involved in poetry inspires true learning that cannot be acquired elsewhere. By connecting with Astrophil's character, the reader has the ability to put themselves in his shoes and learn not only rationally but also emotionally from his mistakes. Although Astrophil must live indefinitely.