The Rape of the Lock

What are some of the images that recur through the poem, and what significance do they have?  


One image that appears throughout the poem is the image of beauty. Pope seems to mock the people's  obsession with beauty. On page 496, Pope says, "Fair nymphs and well-dressed youths around her shone, / But every eye was fixed on her alone." This quote demonstrates just how beautiful Belinda truly was and how it was of importance to this society. Most of the individuals in the poem seem to rely too much on their appearance and not enough on their morals. Without the image of beauty, the poem would have not plot because if Belinda did not care about her appearance then she would have not cared about a missing lock of hair. With the image of beauty throughout "The Rape of the Lock" Pope tries to discourage people from acting obsessive over beauty. Another image that appears throughout "The Rape of the Lock" is the sun. I believe the sun is an image that is recurring because it helps represent Belinda's beauty and to signal different points of the day. In the second canto Pope says, "Bright as the sun, her eyes the gazers strike, And, like the sun, they shine on all alike" (497). This imagery about Belinda's eyes and appearance help the reader picture just how beautiful Belinda really is. The sun is also represented immediately in the poem through this line, "Sol, through white curtains shot a timorous ray," (493). This demonstrates the start of the day and the actual plot.  Also in Canto II, it says "The sun first rises o'er the purple main.." (496). This too, is a use that helps continue the plot and help keep track of what time of day this is taking place in. Another image that recurs throughout "The Rape of the Lock" is that of the sylphs. The sylphs are used in "The Rape of the Lock" just as the Gods and Goddesses are used in Greek epics. They can intervene in the actual people's lives and try to influence the events that happen to them. The sylphs try to protect Belinda from the "dread event" that Ariel knew was going to happen to Belinda (496). The sylphs help bring this poem into a more of an epic style of writing much like the Odyssey and the Illiad without the serious tone. These recurring images help the reader fully grasp what important to the individuals in the poem and help provide a better picture of the plot.

What are some of the ironies in this poem?  What theme or message do they support?


One example of irony in this poem is Belinda's guard Ariel. On page 495 Ariel says, "Of these am I, who thy protection claim,/ A watchful sprite, and Ariel is my name." After introducing himself as her guard who will protect her, he proceeds to tell her about a terrible event that may happen to her. Belinda just seems to brush it off and not paying any attention to these details. I think this example of irony helps support the message that people will do whatever they want to do, even if someone tells them its a bad idea, or something bad is going to happen. The people still do what they want because they don't believe anything is going to happen to them and that they will be okay. Another example of irony Clarissa's role in the scissors. I find it ironic that Clarissa gives Baron the scissors to chop off a lock of Belinda's hair and then gives a speech at the end about morals. Even though, the way Belinda reacted only supported Clarissa's speech about people caring too much about appearance, it is still usually against people's morals to commit acts that will make people be hurt. I believe this situation helps promote the idea that many people will do just about anything to get their idea heard and their point across. Finally, a third ironic situation is the card game situation. In the Third Canto, Pope explains the card game of trickery just like Homer and many other ancient poets wrote about battles in epics. The language Pope used and the way he worded the "battle" between Belinda, Baron, and the other players and their cards helps make the card game seem more like a battle. This example of irony helps the poem seem more like an ancient epic.  The first and the second examples of irony contribute to the overall themes of the poem, while the last examples helps demonstrate the style of Pope's poem.