Sidney Godolphin was an English poet and Hobbes’s personal friend. Godolphin was a Member of Parliament, and like Hobbes, he was a royalist. Godolphin died fighting against the parliamentarians in 1643 during the English Civil War, and it is because of Hobbes’s respect for Sidney that he dedicates Leviathan to Sidney’s brother, Francis.
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Sidney Godolphin Character Timeline in Leviathan
The timeline below shows where the character Sidney Godolphin appears in Leviathan. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Epistle Dedicatory: To My Most Honor’d Friend Mr. Francis Godolphin of Godolphin
Hobbes dedicates Leviathan to Francis Godolphin and begins by mentioning Godolphin’s late brother, Mr. Sidney Godolphin, whom Hobbes held in high regard. It is because of this respect that Hobbes...
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...he is free to tell others that Hobbes deeply honored both Francis and his brother, Sidney, and this dedication was written entirely without Godolphin’s knowledge. The letter is signed in Paris...
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