The Rape of the Lock as a Mock Heroic or

Mock Epic Poem

The epic is a narrative poem, of supposed divine inspiration, treating of a
subject of great and momentous importance for mankind, the characters of the
story being partly human and partly divine, and the language and style in which the
incidents are related being full of elevation and dignity.

Alexander Pope (1688-1744)

If a long narrative poem should satisfy all the tests of epic poetry, but if the subject
which is celebrated be of a trivial nature, like the cutting off a lock of a woman's
hair, which is the story that is related in Pope's The Rape of the Lock, then such a
poem is called a mock-epic poem. A mock-epic poem is supposed to be the
inspiration of a Muse, the characters are partly human and partly divine, and the
language is stilted and grandiose, but the subject is of a very frivolous and
commonplace nature. Pope called The Rape of the Lock a "heroi-comical poem",
which is another name for a mock-epic. It belongs to the class of literature called
"burlesque". A burlesque is a parody on a large scale, in which not a single poem,
but a whole type of style of literature is parodied, the language and thought proper
to a serious theme reproduced in setting forth something ridiculous or trivial.

Instead of grand passions and great fights between heroes in which the immortals
take part, we have as the theme of The Rape of the Lock a petty amorous quarrel
assisted by the spirits of the air. The epic portrays an age round the personality of a
god or a semi-god, and its characters are heroes. The Rape of the Lock, on the
other hand, gives us a picture of a fashionable society. The central figure in that
picture is a pretty society girl, and the other characters are a rash youth, a foolish
dandy and a few frivolous women. Instead of deep and genuine passions as found
in ancient epics, we come across a succession of mock passions in The Rape of the
Lock.

The action of The Rape of the Lock turns on a trivial incident—the cutting off a
lock of hair from a lady's head. Such a thing had taken place in reality. One lord
Petre cut off a lock of hair from the head of Lady Arabella Fermor. There was a
quarrel between the two families, and Pope was requested to make a jest of the
incident, and 'laugh them together'. This was the occasion of the composition of the
poem. Pope did give to the world a fine work of wit—the best mock-heroic poem
in the English language, but we do not know whether the families were reconciled.

The theme of the poem is suggested in the invocation, as in an epic poem, but the
theme is ridiculously trivial, in comparison with the grand theme of an epic. The
action opens with a mock-heroic manner with the awakening of Belinda, the
heroine of the poem. Belinda is the very goddess of beauty, and the luster of her
eyes surpasses that of the sun, who peeped timorously through the white curtains in
Belinda's room: "Sol through white curtains shot a timorous ray, / And opened
those eyes that must eclipse the day."

The whole structure of The Rape of the Lock is cast in the epic mood, but it could
not be a serious epic because the incident is trivial—so we have the mock-heroic or
heroi-comical poem. The poem is divided into Cantos like an epic poem, and there
are ironic parallels to the main Incidents of the epic. The poem begins with an
invocation in epic tradition: "Say, what strange motive, Goddness! could compel /
A well-bred lord to assault a gentle belle?" As in epics, in The Rape of the Lock,
too, divine beings are portrayed. Belinda is in the divine care of the sylphs: "Fairest
of mortals, thou distinguished 'care, / Of thousand bright inhabitants of air". But
then the sylphs are fragile, airy beings and they are helpless before the caprices of
men. Despite all their concern for Belinda, her beautiful lock of hair is raped by the
naughty Baron. There is the mischievous gnome who, like Milton's Satan, is intent
upon making Belinda miserable and thereby all her admirers. The gnome,
addresses the wayward Queen who rules the sex from fifteen to fifty, thus: "Hear
me, and touch Belinda with chagrin, /  That single act gives half the world the
spleen."

The epic always uses the supernatural element. In The Iliad there are gods and
goddesses; in The Rape of the Lock, there are the sylphs and gnomes. These aerial
spirits are small and insignificant things, and are, therefore, exactly in keeping with
the triviality of the theme. They guard the person of the heroine and when there is a
fight between the followers of Belinda and those of the Baron; they take part in the
fight, like the gods and goddesses in the Trojan War: "Propped on their bodkin
spears, the spirits survey, / The growing combat or assist the fray."

An epic poem must contain some episodes also. In keeping with this practice Pope
has introduced the episode of the game of Ombre which is described in great detail.
There is also the hazardous journey of Umbriel to the Cave of Spleen. Then there
is the battle between the lords and ladies just like the battles in epic poetry. But in
the true mock-heroic style this battle is fought with fans and snuff instead of with
swords and spears.

There are single combats also between Belinda and the Baron and between
Clarissa and Sir Plume. Belinda's toilet is another engaging account in which Pope
has attributed in a perfect mock-heroic manner, the solemnity of a religious
observance to the luxurious toilet of a lady of fashion and frivolity. Puffs, powders,
patches, bibles, billet-doux, are all brought to the same table and the slight and the
series are all strangely synthesized.

The Rape of the Lock is a rare instance in which the slight theme is given an
exalted treatment for satirical purposes. All through the poem, a pose of
importance is given to all that is thoroughly unimportant and insignificant and
practically meaningless and farcical. The very conception of writing an epic on the
rape of a lock of hair is funny and bears testimony to the poet's effort to make the
little great and the great little.

In The Rape of the Lock the balance between the concealed irony and the assumed
gravity is nicely trimmed: the little is made great and the great made little. It is the
triumph of insignificance, the apotheosis of foppery and folly.

Characteristics of “The Rape of the Lock” as a mock-epic poem:

1. Parody:

Hazlitt has called the poem ‘the perfection of the mockepic’. It belongs to the
literary type, called burlesque or parody., on a large scale. In it, not a single poem,
but the whole type or style of literature is parodied; the language and thought,
proper to a serious theme are reproduced in describing something ridiculous or
trivial. The eighteenth Century with its passion for the ancients, was familiar with
the whole epic tradition and conventions. It was rich, particularly, in bad epics
itself. Pope makes the framework of his poem a parody of the epic tradition. The
most crucial parallel to epic is the scene which occurs just before the cutting of the
lock, when Ariel discovers the secret longing of the beautiful Belinda. He finds an
earthlylover lurking in Belinda’s heart:
“Sudden he viewed, in spite of all her art,

An earthly lover lurking at her heart.

Amazed to fate, and with sigh retired.”

The situation is apparently an echo of the moment in “paradise Lost” when,

after the fall of Adam and Eve, the angle retire, toheavenly abode feeling sorry for
them. Pope called “The Rape of the lock” a heroi-comical poem. It belongs to the
class of literature called “burlesque”. A burlesque is a parody on a large scale, in
which not a single poem but a whole type of style of literature is parodied, the
language and thought proper to a serious theme being reproduced in setting forth
something ridiculous or trivial. The burlesque is partly a matter of treatment and
partly a matter of language. By treating an insignificant subject in the manner of an
epic the poem parodies that from poetry. Instead of grand passions and great fights
between heroes in which the immortals take part, we have as the theme of “The
Rape of thelock” a petty amorous quarrel assisted by the spirits of the air. The epic
portrays an age round the personality of a god or semi god, and its characters are
heroes. “The rape of the lock”, on the other hand, gives us a picture of fashionable
society. The central figure in that picture is a pretty society girl, and the other
characters are a rash youth, a foolish dandy and few frivolous women. Instead of
deep and genius passions as found in ancient epics, we come across a succession of
mock passions in “The Rape of the lock”

2. The Title:

The mock-heroic character of the poem is perceived in the very title. Rape is a
serious moral offence which means the violation of a woman’s chastity by force. It
also refers to the seizure of a lady by some ruffians in grossly inhuman manner. In
any case, rape is a grave crime, affecting the social decency of a human being.
Pope has used this term in an amusing manner. The possession of the hair of
Belinda by the Baron is described by him in a mock vein. The title evokes nothing
but the mock heroic sensation and well indicates the mock-heroic character of
Pope’s work.

3. The Action and Theme:

The action of “The Rape of the Lock” turns on trivial incident—the cutting of a
lock of hair from a lady’s head. Such a thing has taken place. One lord Peter cut off
a lock of hair from the head of a lady Arabella Fermor. The theme of the poem is
suggested in invocation, as in an epic poem, but the theme is ridiculously trivial, in
comparison with the grand theme of an epic. The action opens in a mock-heroic
manner with the awakening of Belinda, the heroine of the poem. Belinda is the
very goddess of beauty and the luster of her eyes surpasses that of the sun who
peeped timorously through the white curtains in Belinda’s room.

4. The Structure of the Poem:

The whole structure in “The Rape of the lock” is cast in the epic

mould, but it could not be a serious epic because the incident is trivial so we have
the mock-heroic poem. The poem is divided into cantos like an epic poem, and
there are ironical parallels to the main incident of the epic. The poem begins with
an invocation like in epics. As in epics, in “The Rape of the Lock”, too, divine
beings are portrayed. Belinda is in the divine care of the sylphs. But then the sylphs
are fragile, airy beings and they are helpless before the caprice of men. Despite all
their concern for Belinda, her beautiful lock is raped by the naughty Baron. There
is a mischievous gnome, too, who like Milton’s “Satan” is intent upon making
Belinda miserable and thereby all her admirers.

5. Function of Machinery:

The epic always uses the supernatural element. In “The Iliad” there are gods and
goddesses; in “The Rape of the lock”, there are the sylphs and gnomes. These
aerial spirits are small and insignificant things, and are, therefore, exactly in
keeping with the triviality of the theme. They guard the person of the heroine and
when there is fight between the followers of Belinda and those of the Baron, they
take part in fight, like gods and goddesses in the Trojan War.

6. Episode in the Mock-epic:

An epic poem must contain episodes also. In keeping with this practice Pope
has introduced the episodes of the game of Omber which is described in great
detail. There is also the hazardous journey of Umbriel to the Cave of Spleen. Then
there is the battle between the lords and ladies just like the battles in epic poetry.
But in true mock-heroic style this battle is fought with fans and snuff instead of
with swords and spears. There are single combats also between Belinda and the
Baron and between Clarissa and Sir Plume. Thus, to conclude, in “The Rape of the
Lock” the poet has heightened the title, exalted the insignificant, in order to make
the little and the insignificant look more ridiculous. He employs the mock-heroic
form, not to mock the epic form, but to show the triviality of mean things by
contrasting them with great things. This is the true mock-heroic style.