In Book Three of The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia, the outline provided in regard to “The Third Eclogues” refers to the use of Pan and Cupid in the shepherd-singers poem to Thyrsis and Kala. It is important to note the actual role of Pan and Cupid because of the significance they hold in relation to the relationships of Basilius/Gynecia, Pyrocles/Philoclea, and Musidorus/Pamela. Pan and Cupid are representations of love and lust. Cupid, as we know, is a common contemporary representation of love, draped in white cloth with what appears to be angel’s wings and a bow. Pan, a little bit less familiar, is a representation of lust. This dichotomy between the two is most clear in a few lines from the shepherd-singers poem which says, “Where justest love doth vanquish Cupid’s powers, And war of thoughts is swallowed up in peace … Pan, father Pan, the God of silly sheep, Whose care is cause that they in number grow … But thou, foul Cupid, sire to lawless lust…” (Sidney, p 692-693) Here, the heavenly representation of love (Cupid) is the sire, or master, of lawless lust (Pan) who carries on infidelity on earth.
This is pertinent to the narrative insofar it also refers to the lust Basilius and Gynecia have toward Zelmane (Pyrocles) in detailing the sacred and pure bond between Thyrsis and Kala, given Thrysis’ devotion to Kala and the approval of Kala’s parents for them to be properly wed. Additionally, it hints at a similar purity in Pyrocles/Philoclea and Musidorus/Pamela to only desire each other and make their best efforts to avoid other temptations of sexual desire.
In “The Fourth Eclogues” of Book Four of The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia, the question provided by the outline asks how the shepherds echo events in their songs. The shepherd-singers use vague language to describe the sorrows that have overcome them in Arcadia. For example, “wailing” or outcrying of sadness, is used frequently in the poem, which notes to the reader not only a literal cry, but also a public opinion of the ill fate that has come upon the people of Arcadia. Being that this book is about the death of a prominent leader requiring investigation, the public is affected by what has happened in private (i.e. in the cave with Gynecia). The shepard-singers share the emotional lines in reference to what has happened, “Since wailing is a bud of causeful sorrow, Since sorrow is the follower of evil fortune … For lost, lost is by blow of cruel fortune, Arcadia’s gem, the noblest child of nature.” (Sidney, p 774) What’s interesting here is the phrase “Arcadia’s gem, the noblest child of nature,” as it can both refer to Aracadia’s gem, Basilius their leader, and the noblest child, Pamela the eldest daughter, as a possible successor to Basilius. However, Pamela is not “lost” to death, but is lost by her being taken away from captivity with the others. This and ensuing lines introduce a more serious discussion as told by the shepherd-singers that there is mighty turmoil in Arcadia to determine responsibility, protect the kingdom, and honor Basilius at the same time as we move further along the climax of Pyrocles/Philoclea’s and Musidorus/Pamela’s relationships.
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