The Defence of Poesy

In the “Refutation” section, Sidney anticipates what criticisms could be made against poetry, “which may be worthy either of yielding or answering” (49). Addressing critics as a whole, Sidney insults their pedantry and suggests that their criticisms show a lack of wisdom. The author also takes some time to defend rhyming verse (which is sometimes denigrated as a low art) by arguing that the flow of this poetry makes it easier to memorize and therefore to learn from.

Having addressed these general topics, Sidney introduces the four main accusations against poetry: that it’s a waste of time; that it’s the “mother of lies” (51); that it’s a bad moral influence; and that it’s banished from Plato’s Republic. Sidney deals quickly with the first accusation, arguing in sum that, although there are admittedly better pursuits than poetry, it does not follow “that good is not good, because better is better” (52).

The author now turns to the second accusation, that poets are liars. This criticism is based on the principle that fiction is the same as a lie. Sidney argues that the difference between lies and fiction is that fiction never claims to be the truth: “For, as I take it, to lie is to affirm that to be true which is false” (52).