Alexander Pope in The Rape of the Lock, takes the inconsequential and average lifestyle of his acquaintances and surpasses it in capacity and magnitude to form a high-flown and grandiose mock-epic. Much like the title suggests, the poem is an extensive piece written to mourn something as insignificant as the cutting of hair. The poem has remarkable characteristics attributing to the conventions of the ‘mock-epic’ genre. Noticeably, Pope’s use of the mock-epic genre in this poem is rather exhaustive, in that its primary concerns are binding, but the fact that his approach is sardonic rather than earnest is indicative of just how far the culture has descended. Pope attempts to emphasize the way regular life gives way to a rather materialistic life through the means of material objects. Despite the insignificant nature of the characters’ worries and concerns, the writer makes a grand use of elevated language to put his characters amongst a higher social standing, denoting their primary concerns imperative. The Rape of the Lock is then a comical indictment of the vanities and idleness of 18th-century high society. In a perfect marriage of the trifling subject matter and the impressive epic form, Alexander Pope's truthful points are effectively relayed to his audience.
Alexander Pope used the structure of a ceremonial and glorious epic in The Rape of the Lock, to accentuate the silliness of his own society and their trivial practices and beliefs. In following the epic form, inventing his own divine mechanism, using formal diction, Pope effectively treats his minor topic (the 'rape' of Belinda's most decorative curl) in the most striking fashion. It is only a rape of a lock and not rape in the conventional sense. The very first demonstration of the trivial with respect to the mighty is the very title of Pope's epic: The Rape of the Lock. In permitting the heavy word rape to describe the marginal action of Belinda's dramatized haircut, Pope reveals that views the 18th century conceit in a far less astounding light than his contemporaries. Pope dedicates quite a huge portion of the entire poem to just describe the act of the cutting of the lock. Placing his language in an extremely self-conscious manner, the entire act is made epic, and the lengthy 50-line description of the cutting of her hair is made so typically elaborate. Evidently, hardly two people are involved in the entire act, the object world has been given prominence. Referring to them as a “glittering forfex” (Norton Anthology 3.146) or a “two-edged weapon” or a “fatal engine” (Norton Anthology 3.148) not only dramatizes the act but also shines the scissors in a glorious light, as though an object that is revered and of utmost importance. Furthermore, the act is highlighted as though a cosmic disturbance has occurred, and the unthinkable has happened when Pope writes: “screams of horror rend the affrighted skies” (Norton Anthology 3.156) thus implying the gravity of the situation, but also subsequently mocking it with his elaborate and glorious tone of description. In this manner, Pope reveals both Belinda and Baron’s skewed values in the poem. Pope is aware of social conventions within the poem and uses this mock-epic platform to reveal the superficiality and display nature of the object material world. The act has a different register of language from most of the poem. Pope’s mocking tone implies it shouldn’t all be about physical appearance when he mentions “beauty must decay” (Norton Anthology 5.25) therefore all “curled or uncurled all locks will turn grey” (Norton Anthology 5.26). Not only is Pope advocating good sense and good humor but also subsequently imparts merit and virtue in the bigger picture as a reminder of what is truly important.
Additionally, Pope places the ridiculousness in perspective by caricaturing the very form of the epic, traditionally used to tell tales of glory and phenomenon, to articulate his theatrical tale of a woman in love with herself and her hair- which on surface is neither glorious, nor a phenomenon. A few of the epic conventions that Pope parodies involve the invocation of the muse and the heavy presence of supernatural beings and reference to Greek mythology within the poem. In The Rape of the Lock, Pope does not invoke a goddess, he instead invokes his friend, John Caryll who had asked Pope to write a literary work focusing on the snipping of a lock of hair that turned the members of two families -the Petres and the Fermors, into bitter enemies. Pope includes an essential element of the classic epic: “I sing – This verse to Caryll, Muse!” (Norton Anthology 1.3). The Rape of the Lock additionally corresponds to the traditional epic by following through with the established epic themes of love and war. Further on in Canto 4, Umbriel’s journey to “search the gloomy Cave of Spleen” (Norton Anthology 4.16) mimics the journeys to the underworld made by former heroes, and warriors Odysseus and Aeneas. The great, Greek and Roman gods are transformed into a relatively undifferentiated army of essentially incompetent nymphs. Once more, the strategy of Pope’s mock-epic refrains from mocking the form itself, but instead is used to mock the society in its very failure to rise to epic standards, exposing its triviality by casting it against the splendor of the traditional epic themes and the valor and resilience of epic heroes. Pope’s mock-heroic conduct in The Rape of the Lock highlights the ridiculousness of a society in which values have lost all comparison, and the trivial is controlled with the significance and solemnity that ought to be accorded to truly important issues. The poem mocks the men it portrays by showing them as undeserving of a form that suited a more heroic culture. Thus, the mock-epic resembles the epic in that its central concerns are serious and often principled, but the fact that the approach must now be satirical rather than earnest is indicative of how far the culture has plummeted.
The Rape of the Lock is a poem in which every component of the contemporary scene conjures up some image from epic tradition. Pope’s transformations are numerous, prominent, and encumbered with moral implications. Cosmetics, clothing, and jewelry substitute for armor and weapons, and the rituals of religious sacrifice are relocated to the dressing room – the altar of love. Readers are introduced to her “Files of Pins extend their shining Rows/Puffs, Powders, Patches, Bibles, Billet-doux” (Norton Anthology 1.137-8). The elaborate detail of her cosmetic routine echoes the registry of troops and weaponry found in epics. As such, the weapons and armor represent the symbols of protection for warriors. Pope mimics Iliad’s narrative strategy from the episode of the arming of Achilles by Thetis for the battlefields of Troy, which was described with great grandeur. Similarly, Belinda armors herself with beautiful brocade, make-ups, “Arabian perfumes, and “India’s glowing gems” (Norton Anthology 1.133-4) to maintain her strong presence as a high societal figure amidst the upper-classmen every day. The long process of beautifying herself with the help of her maid Betty, is one of the many indications of the distorted values to be found in Belinda's society. The Bible is seen as a trinket for the adornment of her dressing table, along with the puffs and powders, further putting into perspective, the skewed values of mankind.
Furthermore, in seeing a “purer blush arise” (Norton Anthology 1.143) and “a heavenly image” (Norton Anthology 1.125) appear, Pope plays along with Belinda’s fantasy with his delightful and sparkly poem where all objects “glitter” and “shine”. Amidst this dominative object world that Pope creates, he reveals the true nature of materialistic objects that are nothing but superficially attractive. The ironic reversal of cosmetic powers indicates the excessive value she attributes to her make-up, and bowing to her own image shows her devotion to her religion of self-centeredness. The passage is a mock version of the arming of the epic hero, her weaponry of cosmetics being ridiculed by the implicit comparison with the swords and shields of the epic hero. Maintaining a sophisticated and regal tone throughout his poem, Pope offers quite an exhaustive representation of cosmetic nature and function in eighteenth century society. Whilst slightly ridiculing cosmetics through his indefinite use of satire, Pope also reserves an elevated representation of cosmetic beauty through his lavish and imposing description of beauty enhanced by the means of cosmetics. Pope’s appreciation and admiration for Belinda’s beauty is also evident as it is a “hymn of praise addressed to beauty”. He describes the purpose of cosmetics here as something that “calls forth all the wonders of her face” (Norton Anthology 1.142). In this subtle mocking tone of grandeur, Pope attempts to change the conventional ideas of attractiveness. The main force of this passage is satire, but alongside the satire Pope reveals a hint of fascination with the charm and delicacy of Belinda and her cosmetic devotion.
This poem is profuse with amplified descriptions, also transformed into ridiculing and mocking characters that bring to our imagination only humor and laughter rather than the seriousness an epic genre is known to portray. Evidently, the characters, and their actions are represented in this lofty and elevated language. As such, the recitation of Belinda's beauty and elevating it to the point of being divine is not as outspoken as it seems to be. Ultimately, Pope’s handling of the poetic convention in The Rape of the Lock then reveals an intensified blend of both the heroic and the comic.