THE RAPE OF THE LOCK

1 Author : Alexander Pope

2 Genre: Epic or narrative. It was first published in 1712.

3 Characters:
- Main protagonist:
Belinda: She is based on the historical Arabella Fermor, a member of Popes
circle of prominent Roman Catholics. Robert, Lord Petre (the Baron in the
poem). had precipitated a rift between their two families by snipping off a lock of
her hair.
The Baron: This is the pseudonym for the historical Robert, Lord Petre, the
young gentleman in Popes social circle who offended Arabella Fermor and her
family by cutting off a lock of her hair. In the poems version of events, Arabella
is known as Belinda

- Secondary protagonist:
Ariel: Belindas guardian sylph, who oversees an army of invisible protective
deities.
Umbriel: The chief gnome, who travels to the Cave of Spleen and returns with
bundles of sighs and tears to aggravate Belindas vexation.
Clarissa: A woman in attendance at the Hampton Court party. She lends the
Baron the pair of scissors with which he cuts Belindas hair, and later delivers a
moralizing lecture.
Thalestris: Belindas friend, named for the Queen of the Amazons and
representing the historical Gertrude Morley, a friend of Popes and the wife of
Sir George Browne (rendered as her beau, Sir Plume, in the poem). She eggs
Belinda on in her anger and demands that the lock be returned.

4 The setting:

In England.

Pope wrote an initial version of the poem in 1712, telling the basic story
of Belle and Lord Petre, and then made it twice as long two years later.

5 Main idea of the text:

The conflict between two families generated by cutting of Belindas tuft.

(Pope always keeps the idea that beauty is fragile, and the loss of a lock is
deeply affects Belinda. In this period women were essentially decorative paper
rather than rational, and loss of beauty was a serious matter.)

The Pope was English poet who was inspired by the great classical poets

of old to write an intensely developed poetry, often didactic or satirical style.

Popes poetry was clipped, terse, and satiric, lt had to be correct in form,
which meant it had to be written in rhymed couplets, each of the two lines in
iambic pentameter. No one has surpassed Pope in this kind of verse.

6 Characteristics poem

Not all the Tresses that fair head can boast

Shall draw such envy as the Lock you lost.
For, after all the murders of your eye,
When, after millions slain, your self shall die;
When those fair suns shall sett, as sett they must.
-

Satire
Irony
Exaggeration
Imagination
The love of beauty

Summary:

Alexander pope began writing from an early age,

could gradually achieve

success and one of the best-selling poems was The Rape of the Lock.
John Caryll, a good friend to Pope, asked him to write a little poem about the
affair in order to help heal the wounds of the two families.
in this epic poem pope compares the world of the gods with reality. He
compares with the story of Helen of Troy, but he tells the rape of the lock of a
comic way. This poem was based on an actual incident between Arabella
Femor and Lord Petre however Pope changed the name of Arabella by Belinda.
Every day Belinda contemplates his face in the mirror, After an elaborate ritual
of dressing and primping, she travels on the Thames River to Hampton Court
Palace, where a group of wealthy young socialites are gathering for a party
Among them is the Baron (Lord Petre), who is in love Belinda he has already
made up his mind to steal a lock of Belindas hair. When the partygoers arrive at
the palace, they enjoy a tense game of cards, which Pope describes in mockheroic terms as a battle.
Then the Baron takes up a pair of scissors and manages, on the third try, to cut
off the coveted lock of Belindas hair. Belinda is furious she cries a lot . Umbriel,
a mischievous gnome, journeys down to the Cave of Spleen to procure a sack
of sighs and a flask of tears which he then bestows on the heroine to fan the
flames of her ire. Clarissa, who had aided the Baron in his crime, now urges
Belinda to give up her anger in favor of good humor and good sense, moral
qualities which will outlast her vanities however Belinda doesnt hear her and
continues crying. But Clarissas moralizing falls on deaf ears, and Belinda
initiates a scuffle between the ladies and the gentlemen, in which she attempts
to recover the severed curl. The lock is lost in the confusion of this mock battle,
however; the poet consoles the bereft Belinda with the suggestion that it has
been taken up into the heavens and immortalized as a constellation.

Personal criticism:

The Rape of the Lock is a narrative poem by Alexander Pope, which still
belongs to The Eighteenth Century. It was one of the most famous poems of his
time. This story is told by Popes friend John Caryll however pope decided to
write it.
Pope satirizes a small dispute between two families, comparing it with the
world of the gods, the traditions of the abduction of Helen of Troy becomes here
in the theft of a lock of hair. This poem begins where Petre madly in love with
Arabella cut a lock of his hair causing anger and frustration of her, Pope uses
the name Belinda by Arabella.
Pope introduced a system guardian spirits of the virgins.
although Pope's poem tells a comic way, Pope maintains the idea that beauty is
fragile, and the loss of a lock is deeply affects Belinda. In that period, women
had an essentially decorative paper instead of rational, afforded great
importance to its physical beauty and the loss of a lock was a serious matter.