The Rape of Lock as a Mock Epic

Answer

Discuss Pope’s “The Rape of Lock” as a mock epic.

A mock-heroic epic humorously imitates classical epic style and form. It employs elevated language to depict trivial or absurd subjects. The neo-classical writer Alexander Pope’s (1688-1744) one of the most famous poems, “The Rape of the Lock” (1712), is a mock-heroic poem. The poem humorously elevates a trivial event to epic proportions. Here is an evaluation of “The Rape of the Lock” as a mock-heroic epic.

Unconventional Beginning: The epic poets had always invoked “the muse” to fire them with a creative genius when they began long narrative poems, or epics, about godlike heroes. But in “The Rape of the Lock,” Pope does not invoke a goddess; instead, he invokes his friend, John Caryll, who had asked him to write a literary work satirizing the absurdity and silliness of the dispute between two families with the hope of reconciliation. The untraditional invocation is evident in the following line.

I sing—This verse to Caryl, Muse! is due:

Short Length: The traditional epic is long. So, it is divided into cantos. “The Rape of the Lock” is also divided into cantos like an epic poem. However, the poem has only five cantos, containing a total of fewer than 600 lines. Such miniaturizing helps Pope display the smallness or pettiness of the behavior exhibited by the main characters in the poem.

Comparing Belinda’s Toilette to Battle: Pope establishes the mock-heroic motifs through Belinda’s morning routine. Pope figures her toilette as the preparation of an epic hero before the battle. She arms herself with the help of comb pins, “puffs, powders, patches, etc. She is here compared to a warrior putting on his armor. But in this case, of course, it is a woman putting on her clothes in preparation for vying in the battle of the sexes. The description of her table is in the following:

Here files of pins extend their shining rows,

Puffs, powders, patches, bibles, billet-doux.

Sea Voyages: Pope parodies the account of the great sea voyage in “The Rape of the Lock.” In The Odyssey. Odysseus travels the seas between Troy and Greece, encountering many perils. In The Aeneid, Aeneas travels the seas between Troy and Rome, also encountering perils. But in “The Rape of the Lock,” Belinda travels up the Thames by boat.

A Mocking Heroic Battle: The epic poets describe the exploits of the heroes. For example, Homer describes the exploits of his heroes during the Trojan War. But Pope describes the “exploits” of Belinda and the Baron during a card game called Ombre. Pope renders the card game as a heroic battle advancing his epic parody. Here is an excerpt to understand the point.

Supernatural Elements: Pope follows the set convictions of classical epic writings, in place of supernatural machinery to fulfill the essential requirements of epic traditions. Just as Athena protects Diomedes and Aphrodite supports Paris during the Trojan War. Ariel is the guardian of Belinda. He protects Belinda. He says about himself,

A watchful Sprite, and Ariel is my Name.

Unlike the Greek gods, however, Ariel possesses little power to protect his ward and preserve her honour.

In summary, the poet in his poem has heightened the title, and 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.