Analysis of Sonnet XVII: His Mother Dear Cupid

Sir Philip Sidney 1554 (Penshurst, Kent) – 1586 (Zutphen)



His mother dear Cupid offended late,
Because that Mars grown slacker in her love,
With pricking shot he did not throughly more
To keep the pace of their first loving state.

The boy refus'd for fear of Mars's hate,
Who threaten'd stripes, if he his wrath did prove:
But she in chafe him from her lap did shove,
Brake bow, brake shafts, while Cupid weeping sate:

Till that his grandame Nature pityijng it
Of stella's brows make him two better bows,
And in her eyes of arrows infinite.

Oh how for joy he leaps, oh how he crows,
And straight therewith like wags new got to play,
Falls to shrewd turns, and I was in his way.


Scheme ABXA AXBA XXX XCC
Poetic Form
Metre 1101100101 0111110001 11111111 1101111101 0101111101 1101111111 1101110111 1111110101 11111011 1101111101 0001110100 1111111111 011111111 1111011011
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 627
Words 119
Sentences 4
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 3, 3
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 121
Words per stanza (avg) 29
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

36 sec read
84

Sir Philip Sidney

Sir Philip Sidney was an English poet, courtier, scholar and soldier who is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan age. more…

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