How Did the Poet Finally Console Belinda?
The Rape of the Lock is a notable literary work by Alexander Pope. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, to various questions of The Rape of the Lock.
Answer
How did the poet finally console Belinda?
Consolation is needed when someone is in grief. In Alexander Pope’s (1688-1744) “The Rape of the Lock” (1712), the heroine, Belinda, experiences a terrible incident. Baron has cut off her lock of hair. This incident causes Belinda’s mental breakdown. In the concluding part of the poem, the poet expresses sympathy to Belinda in the following manner.
The poet consoles Belinda by suggesting that her lock of hair has achieved a kind of immortality. In the final canto, Pope imagines the lock ascending to the heavens, becoming a constellation. This imaginative transformation elevates the lost lock from a physical object to a celestial symbol. It also suggests that its beauty and significance will be preserved forever.
This Lock, the Muse shall consecrate to fame,
And ‘midst the stars inscribe Belinda’s name.
By placing the lock among the stars, Pope assures Belinda that her beauty and the memory of the event will be eternal. Thus, it turns a moment of loss into one of everlasting fame.
In termination, Alexander Pope consoles Belinda by transforming her loss into a symbol of immortality and fame. By suggesting that her lock has become a celestial object and that her story will endure through his poem, Pope offers Belinda a sense of eternal beauty and recognition.