How is the trial resolved?
Basilius revives, proving that the central murder accusation was founded on an apparent death. The princes can disclose their identities and the threatened executions end.
Which marriages close the edition?
Pyrocles marries Philoclea, Musidorus marries Pamela, and Amphialus marries Helen of Corinth.
Is this ending entirely Sidney's?
No. The Project Gutenberg edition identifies continuations and additions beyond Sidney's surviving design, so the sixth-book settlement belongs to a composite textual history.
Themes and What the Ending Means
Identity and disguise: Gender, rank, costume, and storytelling repeatedly alter what love and authority can perceive.
Pastoral and politics: The king's attempt to escape public duty creates the instability he hoped to avoid.
Constancy under pressure: Captivity, jealousy, distance, and apparent betrayal test whether love is desire or disciplined loyalty.
Narrative abundance: Embedded tales and poems make digression a governing structure rather than an interruption.