Inspiration by Homer
Inspiration by HomerAlexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" engages the reader by telling the tale of a beauteous young woman who has been terribly wronged when an amorous suitor purloins a lock of hair. He begins his tale with an introduction, an apology of sorts, to one Arabella Fermor.Pope makes light of the fairer sex, and indeed poets themselves, as he states " . . . for the ancient poets are in one respect like many modern ladies: let an action be never so trivial in itself, they always make it appear of the utmost importance" (492).
In his web page titled "The Mock Epic as Genre," David Cody, Associate Professor of English, Hartwick College states, ". . . the Mock-Epic is a literary form that burlesques the Classical epic by bringing the formulas characteristic of the epic . . . to bear upon a trivial subject." First published anonymously in Lintot's Miscellany in May 1712, Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock"is a mock-epic which depicts vanity, pride, and the never ending battle between the sexes. Pope engages the classic formulas of an epic to depict a tale of a great injustice, the unforgivable theft of a single lock of hair.
"The Rape of the Lock" burlesques elements of the epic in a variety of manners. The first elements encountered by the reader are the dream and the presence of supernatural beings. " . . . but Zeus could not sleep. For he was pondering how he could destroy crowds of men on the battlefield and cover Achilles with glory," Homer writes, "It seemed to be the best plan to send a bad dream to King Agamemnon" (trans. in W.H. D Rouse 23). Just as Homer chose to invoke thepower of the gods, Alexander Pope chose to illuminate his tale with the presence of the Rosicrucians, the Sylphs, Gnomes, Nymphs, and Salamanders. To each he has given the ability to call forth dreams, or more forthcoming, mischief. When first met, "Belinda still her downy pillow pressed," writes Pope, "Her guardian Sylph prolonged the balmy rest: Twas he had summoned to her silent bed, The morning dream that hovered o'er her head" (I. 19-22).
"Now then men, dismiss for your meal, and let us make ready for battle," says Homer, "Sharpen your spears each man, look to your shields . . . let war be the word" (trans. in W.H.D. Rouse 30). The arming of the hero, or in Pope's case the heroine, has always been a key element in the classic epic. Alexander Pope catalogs Belinda's weapons as she prepares for an evening of frivolity. "Now awful beauty puts on all its arms" writes Pope, as she prepares herself for an evening of frivolity (I.139). The Achaians' spears are deadly, but sadly, Belinda's weapons of beauty present a far greater danger. They are designed to create havoc in the hearts of men.
The battle between the sexes...
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