SpunkyNotes

Comprehensively Concise

Q. Discuss Alexander Pope’s The

Rape of The Lock as a Mock Epic
Poem.

A mock epic takes the epic’s noble

crown—decorated with grand
speeches, extended similes, the
invocation of muses, and more—
and places it on the head of an
ordinary, everyday subject.

This clever switcheroo not only

pokes fun at the subject itself but
also questions the values and
standards of the society that
produces these grand narratives.

The Rape of The Lock

as a Mock Epic Poem
“The Rape of the Lock” by
Alexander Pope is a fine example
of a mock epic. This form parodies
the traditional epic by applying its
grandiose style and structure to
trivial matters.

Pope’s work humorously imitates

the conventions of the epic to
satirize the societal customs of the
18th-century English aristocracy.

1- Mock-Heroic Figure

Pope’s poem presents a seemingly

heroic figure in Belinda, an upper-
class lady obsessed with her
appearance. The central figure,
Belinda, parodies the traditional
epic hero. Rather than noble
virtues, her actions display vanity
and frivolity, as Pope details her
meticulous grooming process:

And now, unveiled, the Toilet

stands displayed
Each silver Vase in mystic
order laid

2- Limited Setting

In contrast to traditional epics’

grand, world-spanning locales,
“The Rape of the Lock” takes
place within the confined settings
of London drawing rooms and
Hampton Court, a notable estate
on the River Thames.

By using these trivial locations,

Pope satirizes the narrow and self-
absorbed world of the English
upper class.

Sol through white curtains

shot a tim’rous ray,
And oped those eyes that
must eclipse the day:
Now lapdogs give
themselves the rouzing
shake,
And sleepless lovers, just at
twelve, awake:
Thrice rung the bell, the
slipper knocked the ground,
And the pressed watch
returned a silver sound.

Here, the setting is a lady’s

bedroom in the morning, indicated
by the “white curtains” and the
sound of the “pressed watch.” It’s
a far cry from the grand
landscapes often seen in epics.

Later, in Canto III, the setting

moves to Hampton Court during a
social gathering:

Here thou, great Anna!

whom three realms obey,
Dost sometimes counsel
take – and sometimes tea.

This setting is not a battlefield or

mythical landscape but a place
where people take tea.

3- Trivial Deeds

No grand battles or heroics take

place in Pope’s poem. Instead, we
have the ‘epic’ moment where a
lock of hair is cut, an act that
causes much uproar:

Oh, hadst thou, cruel! Been

content to seize
Hairs less in sight, or any
hairs but these!

4- Supernatural Elements

Pope incorporates supernatural

elements like the Sylphs, parodying
the divine intervention in true
epics. These elemental spirits,
however, have very human
weaknesses and fail to prevent the
poem’s central ‘catastrophe.’

This Nymph, to the

Destruction of Mankind,
Nourish’d two Locks which
graceful hung behind

5- Elevated Language

Despite the frivolity of his subject,

Pope uses elevated, formal
language that echoes the heroic
couplets of traditional epics. This
contrast between the high style
and the trivial subject matter is a
fundamental aspect of the poem’s
satire:

The Adventrous Baron the

bright Locks admir’d,
He saw, he wish’d, and to
the Prize aspir’d

6- Invocation of the Muse

Pope mimics the epic convention

of invoking the muse in Canto 1.

What dire offence from

am’rous causes springs,
What mighty contests rise
from trivial things,
I sing—This verse to Caryll,
Muse! is due:
This, ev’n Belinda may
vouchsafe to view:
Slight is the subject, but not
so the praise,
If She inspire, and He
approve my lays.

In these lines, Pope parodies the

grand invocations of ancient epics.
He addresses his ‘Muse’, John
Caryll, who is, in fact, a friend who
had suggested the subject of the
poem to him.

Pope’s reference to ‘am’rous

causes’ and ‘mighty contests rise
from trivial things’ hints at the
absurdity of the quarrel he is about
to relate, thereby setting the stage
for the mock epic that follows.

This invocation of the muse is

another way Pope subverts
traditional epic conventions to
create satire.

7- In Medias Res

Pope begins the narrative in

medias res, recounting Belinda’s
dream, which is essentially a
warning of the ‘terrible’ event. It is
a playful imitation of the epic
convention of beginning during the
action.

Betwixt her Mirth and Tears

the Prologue cry’d,
Why, why are thou sad?

8- Mock-Epic Similes

Pope uses elaborate similes to

describe ordinary events, as in the
card game in Canto 3, where a
game of Ombre becomes an
intense, epic battle:

Let Spades be Trumps, she

said, and Trumps they were

Pope employs epic similes

throughout the poem, using them
to inflate the significance of trivial
actions satirically.

For example, when the Baron is

about to cut the lock, Pope draws
a grand comparison to a biblical
event:

Then flashed the living

lightning from her eyes,
And screams of horror rend
th’ affrighted skies.
Not louder shrieks to pitying
heaven are cast,
When husbands, or when
lapdogs breathe their last.

The reaction to the cutting of the

lock is exaggerated to epic
proportions, elevating a moment of
petty mischief to a monumental
event.

9- Episodic Structure

Pope applies the episodic structure

standard in epics to his poem,
breaking down the narrative into
five cantos, each with a central
event, thereby inflating the
importance of trivial actions.

10- Trivial Themes

While traditional epics deal with

grand themes like honour, courage,
and fate, “The Rape of the Lock”
focuses on the petty concerns of
high society, like beauty,
reputation, and propriety. In Canto
I, we see Belinda’s elaborate
dressing table, which is described
almost like an altar, with cosmetics
and combs instead of religious
artifacts:

And now, unveiled, the Toilet

stands displayed,
Each silver Vase in mystic
order laid.

11- Cataloguing

Pope mimics the epic convention

of cataloguing. Instead of listing
warriors or ships, he catalogues
items on Belinda’s dressing table:

Puffs, Powders, Patches,

Bibles, Billet-doux

12- Role of Prophecy

The role of prophecy is humorously

incorporated with Ariel’s warning to
Belinda about the impending
disaster. However, the ‘disaster’ is
far from the epic’s catastrophic
events—it is merely the cutting of a
lock of hair.

Beware of all, but most

beware of Man!

13- Mock-Battles

Pope’s poem The Rape of The

Lock has no wars or heroic battles.
Instead, we have the game of
Ombre and the ‘epic’ confrontation
between Belinda and the Baron
over a lock of hair. These
incidents, framed in terms of
battles, satirize the idea of warfare
in traditional epics.

She said: then raging to Sir

Plume repairs,
And bids her Beau demand
the precious Hairs

15- The Journey

There is no profound journey or

heroic quest in “The Rape of the
Lock.” Instead, Belinda travels
from home to a social event, an
ordinary journey that Pope treats
with mock seriousness.

In conclusion, Alexander Pope’s

“The Rape of the Lock” cleverly
subverts the traditional elements of
the epic to create a mock epic that
provides a satirical commentary on
the society of his time.

The poem highlights the trivial

concerns and follies of the English
aristocracy by framing them within
the grand structure of an epic. In
doing so, Pope not only mocks the
pretensions and frivolity of the
upper classes but also parodies
the conventions of the epic form
itself.

Related Posts

The Overcoat as a Social

Satire

Aristotle’s Definition of
Tragedy

Leave a comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Save my name, email, and

website in this browser for the
next time I comment.

Post Comment

Search

History of English Literature

Authors

Aristotle
Alexander Pope

Alice Walker
Anton Chekhov

Ben Okri

Emily Dickinson
Geoffrey Chaucer

Guy de Maupassant

Hanif Kureishi
Henry Fielding

Kate Chopin

Katherine Mansfield
Khaled Hosseini

Leo Tolstoy

Nadine Gordimer
Nikolai Gogol

Philip Sidney

Robert Frost

Sherman Alexie
Sylvia Plath

Toni Morrison

William Faulkner
William Wordsworth

Zulfikar Ghose

Literary Terms

Vocabulary

Copyright © 2023 SpunkyNotes