Sonnet 39 Essay

Sir Philip Sidney’s Sonnet 39 continues his series of poems about Astrophel and Stella, a lover and his beloved who does not love him in return. In Sonnet 39, the speaker, who the reader can assume to be Astrophel, speaks to Sleep, in a desperate need for rest. He begins by mentioning the contents of dreams, such as “the poor man’s wealth, the prisoner’s release (L3),” and calling sleep “the indifferent judge between the high and low (L4).” In these descriptions, it is clear that the speaker believes that dreams allow even the most likely events to occur within them. The way that Astrophel wishes to see Stella in his dreams introduces the theme of unrequited love, which is the essence of the poem in its entirety.
In offering Sleep such an enticing proposition, including objects such as “smooth pillows” and the “sweetest bed (L9),” the speaker shows that he is willing to rightfully submit Sleep nearly anything in order to get some rest. When Astrophel says, “a chamber deaf to noise and blind to light (L9),” he of course is speaking about a bedroom that is both dark and quiet, two characteristics that sleep-oriented rooms are generally accustomed to. His acts of submission make him seem quite desperate to see his beloved, which is why he is so willing to give up everything he can possibly offer to Sleep
The inner turmoil that the speaker is experiencing is also quite obvious. In lines 5-7, he says, “With shield of proof, shield me from out the prease/ Of those fierce darts Despair at me doth throw; / O make in me those civil wars to cease.” The “civil wars” that exist within his mind most likely involve his unrequited lover. He wants Sleep to protect him from the “fierce darts” that Despair throws at him. The speaker’s personification of “Despair” insinuates that the conflicts he has undergone because of Stella have resulted in his misery. He feels that his love for Stella is not being returned to him by her, and it is causing him to feel desperate for her attention, which he believes he can only attain in his dreams.
The theme of unrequited love that is reflected throughout this poem is the summation of the conflict that exists within Astrophel, the speaker. Because he is not being loved in return by his beloved, Astrophel becomes miserable and wishes to gain an ounce of sleep, which he has clearly not been able to do because of the chaos that exists within his mind. His dreams seem to be the only break from reality and literal rest from the world. In lines 13-14, the speaker says, “Move not thy heavy grace, thou shalt in me,/ Livelier than elsewhere, Stella’s image see.” This demonstrates that Astrophel lives solely for Stella, and not having her in his life makes it not worth living. The last line of the poem shows that Astrophel is liveliest when he sees Stella, so even in sleep, Astrophel would be happiest by seeing Stella anyway he possibly can, even if it is only in his dreams.