Sir Philip Sidney, the author of this treatise, does not distance his voice from the work. Rather, he inserts his own commentary and opinions throughout the essay, making himself a vivid presence behind the argument. Sidney was a member of the English aristocracy and was educated at Oxford. He served as a Member of Parliament multiple times in his life and acted as a diplomat under Queen Elizabeth I. Sidney travelled extensively around Europe thanks to this role, a fact that he mentions in the opening lines of The Defence of Poesy.

Sidney was a poet, known for writing Astrophel and Stella and The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia. The author also moved in educated circles, associating with poets, scientists, and other humanist thinkers of his time. A militant Protestant, Sidney was wounded in Spain while fighting the Spanish Catholics. The wound became gangrenous, and he died a few days later at the age of 31. It was said that the mortally-wounded Sidney offered his water to a fellow soldier, saying: “Thy necessity is yet greater than mine.” This story remains popular today and illustrates the virtue of manly courage that is so important in Sidney’s The Defence of Poesy.