Key Terms
Born
1554 Died: 1586; age nearly 32 Cause of death: Gangrene from a battle wound sustained attacking a larger Spanish force —
KEY CONTRAST
Because Astrophel plays the literary game of love and Stella doesn't, she ends up appearing more real and him more fooli
DEFINITION
A blazon is a traditional poetic form describing the physical attributes of the beloved, usually through a catalog of co
Reversed structure
Sestet presents the problem; octet resolves.
CENTRAL IRONY OF THE SEQUENCE
Astrophel is a skilled poet who writes beautiful sonnets, but those poems are more about literary convention and his own
Subject
Astrophel explains why and how he writes his sonnets.
CLOSING ADVICE FROM THE MUSE
"Look in thy heart, and write."
PROBLEM
All these materials are beautiful but cold and hard. The description undermines the virtue he claims to find in her.
Story
Venus (upset that Mars's love has cooled) orders Cupid to shoot Mars; Cupid refuses out of fear of Mars's wrath; Venus s
INTENTIONAL PUN
"pricking shot" — dual meaning. Surface: the shot that will prick Mars back into action.
ANALYSIS
He is willing to deny his own reality — sacrifice his sense of self — to win her pity. Love is supposed to be ennobling;
Extended allegory
Astrophel rides a horse; love rides Astrophel.
LATE SEQUENCE DETAIL
Even when Stella is ill, Astrophel interprets her paleness as evidence of her love for him.
Multiple levels
1. Astrophel mistakes literary convention for real love
What the reader must do
1. Read each sonnet slowly; read it multiple times 2.