Sonnet+31



Sonnet 31 By Sir Philip Sidney

With how sad steps, O Moon, thou climb'st the skies ! How silently, and with how wan a face ! What, may it be that even in heavenly place That busy archer his sharp arrows tries? Sure, if that long with love-acquainted eyes Can judge of love, thou feel'st a lover's case**;** I read it in thy looks**;** thy languisht grace To me that feel the like, thy state descries. Then, even of fellowship, O Moon, tell me, Is constant love deemed there but want of wit? Are beauties there as proud as here they be? Do they above love to be loved, and yet Those lovers scorn whom that love doth possess? Do they call virtue there, ungratefulness?


 * Reading Questions:**

The moon appears to be in a sullen and sad mood, evident in it's "sad steps"(line 1) and wan face(line 2).
 * How does the moon appear to the speaker?**

The speaker attributes the moon's bleak mood to a love related matter, claiming that he recognizes the symptoms of the love sickness, which it exhibits, from personal experience.
 * To what does the speaker attribute the moon's mood**

In the last half of the poem, the speaker goes on from pointing out the moons symptoms to claiming "fellowship" in the moons plight. The speaker then goes on to question the moon, calling upon their common bonds, about whether situations of undaunted and unreturned love are as fickle in the heavens as they are on earth. From this questioning we learn that the speaker is possibly in a one way relationship where love is not present on both sides and, becuase of the apparentness of this, they are mocked as foolish, even by those they claim love, for being so persistant in their ardor.
 * How does the speaker reveal his own situation by adressing the moon.**


 * {Side note****}** The last line stands to change the above presented interpretation of the poem, this change hinging on the deffinition of the word "virtue" used. It could be that the speaker is not commenting upon his own experiences but that he is commenting on the fickleness of love in general, for with the above interpretation of the poem, the last line does seem a bit strange as all but one definition for "virtue" seem out of place. The one meaning that does seem to fit in place, chastity, would seem to be something more related to the standpoint of women, indicating that this poem most probably is not of personal exerience but rather is an objective view of the faults of love. Unfourtunately, one must also take into account the author's time period, and from this realize that the latter interpretation is altogether too contemporary to be of realistic probability.


 * Resources:**

Merriam-Webster. "Virtue." Merriam-Webster. 17 Jan 2007 .]