Private Honour and Noble Masculine Image in Early Modern England: Sir Robert Sidney and His Contemporaries [Paperback]

Acknowledgements

A Note on the Text

Introduction I: Private Manhood in Renaissance England

Introduction II: From Henry to Elizabeth to James: The Progression of Courtly Masculinity

Chapter One: Masculinity through Child-Rearing: Private Honour in the Letters of Robert Sidney

Chapter Two: Shame, Conscience and Emasculation: Private Honour and the Sonnets of Robert Sidney

Chapter Three: Private Honour and Nicholas Hilliards Portrait Miniature of Robert Sidney

Chapter Four: Private Honour and Masculinity in Prince Henrys Investiture Masques

Conclusion: Public Functions of Private Masculine Honour

Index

The permeability between the private and public spheres in the Renaissance led to an emergence of new forms of masculine representation. In a time when manhood was intertwined with militaristic qualities, this bool demonstrates how in the domestic sphere, a gentler version of masculinity was fostered amongst the nobility.

Robert Sidney, the first Earl of Leicester (15631626), serves as an exemplar of an Elizabethan nobleman who had in his collection a body of work pertinent to the subject of masculine honour in the private realm. Understanding the nuances and evolution of the term private honour as it is represented in Sidneys artefacts, as well as in the public discourse of the era, is the work and contribution of this book. The permeability between the private and public spheres led to an emergence of new forms of masculine representation. In a time when manhood was intertwined with militaristic qualities (such as courage, strength and fortitude), my investigation shows that in the domestic sphere, a gentler version of masculinity, encouraging humility, constancy and modesty, was fostered amongst the nobility. While worries of effeminacy certl“l