Sir Philip Sidney, courtier, soldier, diplomat, was not only the Elizabethans' perfect gentleman, but also one of their most influential poets. Sidney wrote Astrophil and Stella in 1582, four years before he died at Arnheim, a national hero. The first Englidh sonnet cycle, Astrophil and Stella records a courtier's love for a beautiful and virtuous lady of the court. Elegant, ironic, and full of authentic passion, it has often been thought to be an account of Sidney's love for Lady Penelope Rich. Sidney shows in this cycle the great variety and flexibility of which the sonnet form is capable, and with remarkable wit and economy captures moods from Platonic love to impatient frustration, from wry melancholy to lyrical passion. This edition of Astrophil and Stella includes an introduction, notes, and comments by Max Putzel, Associate Professor of English at the University of Connecticut.