ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the expression of private masculine honour through the art form of the sonnet, with particular focus on the unpublished works of Robert Sidney. It explores the realms in which this type of poetry was written and performed, the role conscience played in the motifs of desire and shame and how these themes influenced the varying levels of privacy that were attributed to the sonnet. By placing the narrative of the sonnet in the private sphere, the poet was able to subvert the qualities of private honour in his hero, showcasing the subject as immoderate and unbalanced, thus failing to perform masculinity according to the contemporary standard. Self-validation through the rejection of the poetic subject is how Elizabethan courtiers advanced through the ranks by proving themselves capable of more than martial endeavours and by demonstrating their mastery of the balance of private and public honour.
