Alexander Pope's 'The Rape of the Lock' is a mock-heroic poem satirizing the frivolity of the British aristocracy. It transforms a petty incident, the cutting of Arabella Fermor's hair, into an epic narrative. Characters like Belinda and the Baron parody epic heroes, while sylphs and gnomes add a supernatural twist. The poem critiques superficial concerns over beauty and status, using wit to expose societal shallowness.
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Alexander Pope is the author of 'The Rape of the Lock,' a mock-heroic narrative poem
John Caryll
John Caryll commissioned Pope to write 'The Rape of the Lock' in order to reconcile two families
'The Rape of the Lock' is a classic example of the mock-heroic genre, using elevated language and style to satirize a trivial event
Belinda, the central figure of the poem, is a beautiful young woman whose main concern is her appearance
Ariel and her band of sylphs serve as Belinda's guardian spirits, assisting her in maintaining her beauty and social grace
Shock
Shock, Belinda's pet, symbolizes the trivial concerns of the aristocracy
The Baron
The Baron, representing Lord Petre, is the poem's antagonist, obsessed with cutting a lock of Belinda's hair
Clarissa
Clarissa initially aids the Baron but later delivers a moralizing speech that goes unheeded
Umbriel
Umbriel, a gnome, travels to the underworld to bring sorrow and despair to plague Belinda
Sir Plume
Sir Plume, a caricature of a foppish nobleman, is ineffectually drawn into the dispute
'The Rape of the Lock' is structured into five cantos, each contributing to the mock-epic narrative
Pope's use of heroic couplets mimics the form of traditional epics while satirizing the triviality of the social elite's concerns
The poem is filled with allusions to classical mythology and epic battles, contrasting the lofty style with the pettiness of the event
'The Rape of the Lock' serves as a pointed social satire of the era's preoccupation with outward beauty, luxury, and social status
The characters' obsessions and the poem's events reflect the superficiality Pope observed in the society around him
Clarissa's speech advocating for moral values over vanity represents Pope's satirical message, which is ultimately disregarded
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Author of 'The Rape of the Lock'
Alexander Pope, 18th-century poet.
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Original vs. Expanded version of the poem
Began as two cantos, expanded to five.
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Use of supernatural elements
Incorporates sylphs and gnomes, blending real with fictional.
