Riddhi Bhatt: Thinking Activity : The Rape of the Lock

THINKING ACTIVITY: THE RAPE OF THE LOCK

Hello Beautiful People,

Today we discuss about ‘THE RAPE OF THE LOCK’. This blog is also part of my thinking activity assigned by Miss. Vaidehi madam Hariyani, Professor of the English Department of Maharaja Krishnkumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Bhavangar University (MKBU).

First, we discuss about something interesting facts and summary of ‘The Rape of The Lock’ and after brief analysis of Belinda's character keeping in mind the contemporary time rather than the 18th Century.

THE RAPE OF THE LOCK

⏩ Introduction

The Rape of the Lock is a mock-heroic narrative poem written by Alexander Pope. One of the most commonly cited examples of high burlesque. The poem satirises a small incident by comparing it to the epic world of the gods. It was based on an actual event recounted to the poet by Pope's friend, John Caryll. Arabella Fermor and her suitor, Lord Petre,

Pope's poem uses the traditional high stature of classical epics to emphasise the triviality of the incident. The abduction of Helen of Troy becomes here the theft of a lock of hair; the gods become minute sylphs; the description of Achilles' shield becomes an excursus on one of Belinda's petticoats.

He also uses the epic style of invocations, lamentations, exclamations and similes, and in some cases adds parody to imitation by following the framework of actual speeches in Homer's Iliad. Although the poem is humorous at times, Pope keeps a sense that beauty is fragile, and emphasizes that the loss of a lock of hair touches Belinda deeply.

The humour of the poem comes from the storm in a teacup being couched within the elaborate, formal verbal structure of an epic poem. It is a satire on contemporary society which showcases the lifestyle led by some people of that age. Pope arguably satirises it from within rather than looking down judgmentally on the characters. Belinda's legitimate rage is thus alleviated and tempered by her good humour, as directed by the character Claris

⏩ Original poem

⏩ Original poem

(1) The Rape of the Lock: Canto 1

(2) The Rape of the Lock: Canto 2

(3) The Rape of the Lock : 3

(4) The Rape of the Lock : Canto 4

(5) The Rape of the Lock : Canto 5

⏩ Summary

In the beginning of this mock-epic, Pope declares that a "dire offence" (Canto 1 line 1) has been committed. A lord has assaulted a "gentle belle", causing her to reject him. He then proceeds to tell the story of this offence.

While Belinda is still asleep, her guardian Sylph Ariel forewarns her that "some dread event impends". Belinda then awakes and gets ready for the day with the help of her maid, Betty. The Sylphs, though unseen, also contribute: "These set the head, and those divide the hair, some fold the sleeve, whilst others plait the gown”.

Here Pope also describes Belinda's two locks of hair "which graceful hung behind". The Baron, one of Belinda's suitors, greatly admires these locks and conspires to steal one. Building an altar, he places on it "all the trophies of his former loves”, sets them on fire and fervently prays "soon to obtain, and long possess" the lock.

Ariel, disturbed by the impending event although not knowing what it will be, summons many sylphs to her and instructs them to guard Belinda from anything that may befall her, whether she "forget her prayers, or miss a masquerade, or lost her heart, or necklace, at a ball" So protected, Belinda arrives at Hampton Court and is invited to play a game of ombre.

The conspiring Baron acquires a pair of scissors and tries to snip off one of her locks, but he is prevented by the watchful Sylphs. This happens three times, but in the end the Baron succeeds (also cutting a Sylph in two although Pope reassures us, parodying a passage in Paradise Lost, that "airy substance soon unites again". When Belinda discovers her lock is gone, she falls into a tantrum, while the Baron celebrates his victory.
A gnome named Umbriel now journeys to the Cave of Spleen and from the Queen receives a bag of "sighs, sobs, and passions, and the war of tongues" and a vial filled "with fainting fears, soft sorrows, melting griefs, and flowing tears" and brings them to Belinda. Finding her dejected in the arms of the woman Tapestries, Umbriel pours the contents over them both.

Many people, moved by Belinda's grief, demand the lock back, but the Baron is unrepentant and refuses. Clarissa admonishes them to keep their good humor, but they will not listen and instead a battle ensues with glares, songs and wits as weapons.

Belinda fights with the Baron and throws snuff up his nose to subdue him. When she demands that he restore the lock, however, it is nowhere to be found. It has been made a constellation and is destined to outlast the contestants.

⏩ Character of Belinda

Having a Cleopatra-like variety, Belinda is the one who is all pervasive and central character in Alexander Pope’s mock heroic, “The Rape of the Lock”. Pope’s attitude to Belinda is very mixed and complicated: mocking and yet tender, admiring and yet critical. The paradoxical nature of Pope’s attitude is intimately related to the paradox of Belinda’s situation. She is as a bundle of contradictions as is the society she represents. She is a complex character and is more than a mere type. It is impossible to find a parallel of Belinda in any poem of the 18th century.

Belinda is introduced as a paragon of female charm whose name is Latin for “Lovely to behold “. Pope seems to be enamoured with his own creation. He describes her in superlatives – the brightest fair, the fairest of mortals. She is the centre of attention during her pleasure ride over river Thames; her lively looks, her sprightly mind, her flashing eyes charm one and all:

“Belinda smiled, and all the world was gay.”

Belinda’s exquisite beauty is enhanced by two curling side-locks of hair that charmingly set off her ivory white neck and which she has kept ‘ to the destruction of mankind:”

“Love in these labyrinths his slaves detains,

And mighty hearts are held in slender chains.”

Belinda’s charms can work miracles and can make even non-believers kiss the cross. She is an embodiment of grace and sweetness which cover up her flirtation and faults.

Here in this creation of Pope, Belinda is not only a priestess of “the sacred rites of pride “, she is also compared to a warrior arming for the fray. Later in the poem she is the warrior once more at the card-table in her conquest of the two ‘ adventurous knights ‘, she emerges as a heroic conqueror in the epic encounter of the beaux and belles.

Belinda cares a fig for religion. To place the Bible with her loads of beauty accessories and love letters on the same dressing table indicates the confusion of values. She has transformed all spiritual exercises and emblems into a coquette’s self- display and self- adoration.

Belinda undoubtedly possesses a superb skill in playing the game of ombre, but the manner in which she gloats over her victory shows not only her vanity and superficiality but also a childish temperament, she becomes too quickly joyous and too quickly depressed. Her tantrums, when a lock of her hair has been clipped by Baron, also show her as a spoiled child. We now see Belinda as a true Fury. She is weighed down by worry and anxiety. Then she begins to burn with an inhuman wrath, a more than mortal indignation:

“Not louder shrieks to pitying Heaven are cast,

When husbands, or when lapdogs breathe their last. “

But the very lament is hypocritical or superficial. She is anxious about her ‘ reputation ‘ alone, and would not care if she lost her ‘ honour ‘ or virginity in some secret love-affair.

However Belinda’s fury is quite natural. Quoting Miller, grandiosity can be seen when a person admires himself, his qualities, such as beauty, cleverness, and talents and his success and achievements greatly. If one of these happens to fail, then the catastrophe of a severe depression is near (Miller 34). In Belinda’s case, it is a breach of hero-worship and rules of chivalry and courtship.

Belinda does undergo a “fall” from the narcissistic self-love and arid virginity. It is merely a fall into a more natural human condition and best regarded, perhaps, as a kind of fortunate fall.

Basically, Belinda is a model and more specifically represents the fashionable, aristocratic ladies of Pope’s age. Such social butterflies in eighteenth century were regarded as “petty triflers”, having no serious concern with life, and ” engrossed in dance and gaiety ”. Belinda’s fall indicates the decadence of her class. Through her, Pope describes the flippancy and depravity of the English society of his day.

Traditionally, Belinda is based upon on the historical Arabella Fermor, the lady in Pope’s social circle who was offended by Lord Petre. John Denis says that Belinda ” is a chimera, and not a character ‘‘. Viewing the poem as a political satire, Belinda represents GREAT BRITIAN or (which is the same thing) her LATE MAJESTY. This is plainly see in Pope’s description of her.

Belinda is presented by Pope in "The Rape of the Lock" as a bundle of contradictions. This makes her not just a more interesting character, but also a reflection of the society in which she lives. First and foremost, Belinda is a ravishingly beautiful young lady, her beauty a source of wonderment and admiration to men and women alike. Her very name comes from the Latin for "lovely to behold." Pope often describes Belinda in gushing superlatives such as "the brightest fair" and "the fairest of mortals."

Belinda is acutely aware of her extraordinary beauty and the equally extraordinary effect it has on people. She is the center of attention wherever she goes, most notably during her pleasure ride down the Thames, her bright smile and eyes shining like the sun:

Bright as the sun , her eyes the gazers strike ,

And, like the sun , she shines on all alike.

Not surprisingly, with all this natural beauty and the attention it brings, Belinda is a rather vain, superficial young lady. She worships at the feet of beauty, and, as she's the very embodiment of the that beauty, she worships herself as intently as everyone else does. Though self-assured, Belinda's value system seems more than a tad confused.

She ostentatiously keeps a copy of the Bible on her dressing table along with all her powders, creams, and hairbrushes. It's as if Belinda treats the Word of God as just another fashion accessory, a means of showing off to people how devout she is. But placing a Bible next to a pile of love letters indicates just how shallow this attachment to religion really is.

Belinda, usually well behaved as society girls are, flies into one of the most outrageous rages ever recorded. She goes so far as to throw snuff in the Baron's face and to stab him with her hat pin. Ouch!

However much she rages, he at first will not return the lock of hair and then, having lost it, can not return it. Belinda's usual vanity and pride return, however, when someone says she saw where the lock of hair went...it travelled to the stars and was made into a constellation where everyone for eternity can admire its beauty.

If we compared Alexander Pope's Belinda character connected to real life and present situation (21 century) in the poem Rape of the Lock so…

Imagine a private girls’ school that holds the Prom as a tea dance — that is, during the day, possibly at a destination (that’s the boat). Belinda is the Queen Bee, who has The Hair, the Baron is the Pick-Up Artist, who always collects a trophy from all his scores, and brags about how far he got to get them. Belinda has a fernery, Clarissa, who owns an heirloom stork scissors in a case, that can pass as jewelry in front of the chaperones. Baron brags he can score Belinda, Clarissa says she can help him. Belinda is going to have an up do with butterfly curls, and Baron figures he’ll get one curl with Clarissa’s scissors.

The day dawns. Clarissa wakes up to Twitters. Baron works out and gets his game on. They get on the boat. Once there, Belinda plays a great game of Uno, and seeks out the coffee urn, followed by Clarissa and the Baron. While Belinda has her back turned, Clarissa gives Baron the scissors, and the cut is made.

Clarissa puts her hand back, having felt something, and feels…nothing. She screams, and pulls out her hair sticks to face Barron. A fight breaks out. And then…she gets her period. In front of everyone.

⏩ Some Interesting Images of 'The Rape of the Lock'