Rape of the Lock Flashcards
Q: What is The Rape of the Lock about?
A: A mock-epic poem where Belinda’s lock of hair is cut by the Baron; Pope satirizes aristocratic vanity using epic conventions.
Q: How does Pope use epic conventions in The Rape of the Lock?
A: He uses them (invocation of the muse, descent into underworld, heroic battles) to mock rather than glorify the subject.
Q: What main themes does The Rape of the Lock explore?
A: Female autonomy and artifice, epic battles over trivial matters, colonial and social critique.
Q: What defines a mock-epic?
A: It imitates classical epic style but applies it ironically to trivial subjects, highlighting the absurdity of modern society.
Q: What is the purpose and tone of Pope’s mock-epic?
A: It respects epic traditions but uses irony to expose how modern culture falls short of classical ideals.
Q: Why did 18th-century poets turn to mock-epic?
A: They believed true epics were no longer possible due to social changes like the rise of the bourgeoisie and decline of aristocratic values.
Q: What is the Augustan style in literature?
A: Emulation of Roman poets (Virgil, Ovid) under Augustus—valuing order, decorum, and classical forms.
Q: How does The Rape of the Lock apply epic language?
A: High, formal language is used to describe trivial events like hair-cutting and card games.
Q: How are love and war tropes used satirically?
A: Romantic glances and card games are exaggerated as heroic battles, mocking the elite’s shallow concerns.
Q: Who does Pope model Belinda after?
A: He reimagines Belinda as mythic women like Venus and Pandora, blending admiration with satire.
Q: With which classical figures is Belinda associated?
A: Pandora, Galatea, Venus, and Minerva—figures of beauty, artifice, and power.
Q: What does Belinda symbolize in the poem?
A: A constructed, idealized beauty—both celebrated and critiqued for her surface perfection.
Q: What happens in Canto 1?
A: Belinda is warned in her dreams by the Sylph Ariel, then beautifies herself for court—parodying the hero’s preparation for battle.
Q: What classical element is parodied in Belinda’s morning routine?
A: Epic heroes’ arming scenes (like Achilles)—but applied to applying makeup and dressing.
Q: What happens in Canto 2?
A: Men and women interact at Hampton Court; the Baron plots to cut Belinda’s lock, and the Sylphs fail to stop him.
Q: How is Belinda’s clothing described symbolically?
A: Her petticoat parodies the epic shield—defending feminine virtue instead of male honour.
Q: What occurs in Canto 3?
A: A mock-battle (the card game ombre) is fought; the Baron successfully cuts off Belinda’s lock.
Q: What epic and colonial elements appear in Canto 3?
A: The trivial card game is likened to grand battles; global luxury goods show colonial exploitation behind aristocratic life.
Q: What happens in Canto 4?
A: Belinda’s despair is dramatized through Umbriel’s journey to the Cave of Spleen—an underworld of female melancholy.
Q: What does the Cave of Spleen symbolize?
A: Female emotions—melancholy, hysteria, irrationality—and a grotesque parody of epic underworld journeys.
Q: What happens in Canto 5?
Mock-epic battle of flirtation. Belinda demands the lock back; it’s lost forever. The lock is immortalized in the stars—a parody of epic apotheosis.
Q: What classical myth does the lock’s apotheosis recall?
A: The myth of Berenice’s lock being turned into a constellation.
Q: How does the Baron’s theft mirror classical conquest myths?
A: It parallels the fall of Troy and myths like Scylla’s betrayal—gendered loss of honour and agency
Q: What is a feminist interpretation of Popes poem?
A: Women suffer permanent social damage (like Belinda after the lock is cut), while male actions go unpunished—mirroring ancient epic traditions.
