Page 234 - DENG405_BRITISH_POETRY

Unit 24: Alexander Pope: The Rape of the Lock

“unadmired remained / In some lone isle, or distant northern land” (153-4). She articulates her Notes
regret at not having listened to the Sylph’s warning or the morning’s evil omens. Belinda then
laments the state of the lonely curl that remains, the sister of the severed lock.

Analysis

The fourth canto opens with Belinda languishing in “rage, resentment, and despair,” eclipsing the
sorrows of kings imprisoned after battle, scornful women who become spinsters, lovers robbed of
their happiness, medieval women refused kisses, tyrants who die without repenting, and a woman
whose dress is unkempt (9). Pope places each of these individuals in their own line so that their
sorrows have equal footing and none is subordinate. Of course, the despair of a captured king far
outweighs the aggravation of a woman who appears disheveled. By placing all of these figures
subordinate to Belinda, Pope accentuates the excess and impropriety of her grief after the theft of her
hair, a minor setback. He thus chastises those who place excessive significance on trivial problems.
Furthermore, by equating the disparate sorrows enumerated this first verse-paragraph, Pope
emphasizes the importance of a moral code with which to evaluate the validity of these emotions.
Umbriel’s descent into the Cave of Spleen evokes the journeys to the underworld made by Odysseus
in The Odyssey and Aeneas in The Aeneid. This sequence perverts the traditional epic justifications
for visiting the underworld. Usually the hero requires guidance for his quest and travels to the
underworld to consult a deceased friend or relative. Overcome with despair, Belinda has retired to
her bed, so instead of the hero’s visit to the underworld, Pope depicts the descent of a trouble-
making Gnome. Of course, Umbriel has no intention of assisting Belinda in recovering the lock;
rather, he travels to the Cave of Spleen for methods to exacerbate Belinda’s pain. The use of the
“spleen” sequence also allows Pope to explore Belinda’s emotional distress. In her sorrow Belinda
is attended by Ill-Nature and Affectation whose presence suggests that the heroine’s grief is affected
rather than a true reflection of her emotion. Her anguish is thus equally as decorative as her locks,
completely undermining the elevation of her misery in the first verse-paragraph.
Pope further emphasizes the epic tradition in Thalestris’ speech. She figures the severing of the lock
as an affront to Belinda’s honor, encouraging her friend to avenge this insult. Offended honor is a
common theme in epic poetry; at the outset of The Iliad, Achilles is enraged at Agamemnon for
insulting him. Thalestris’ attempts to rouse Belinda’s anger serve as a reminder of the behavior
Belinda should be demonstrating as the epic hero. In Belinda’s place, Thalestris is outraged. Her
presence reinforces Pope’s manipulation of the epic genre, borrowing the Amazon from Greek
mythology. Here Pope also draws on chivalric ideals from the romance genre. She asks Sir Plume to
defend Belinda’s honor by demanding that the Baron return the lock. Sir Plume fails utterly, muttering
only slang terms in his confrontation with the Baron. His failure to restore Belinda’s honor
demonstrates the degree to which chivalry has declined.
Pope’s discussion of honor in this canto reemphasizes the poem’s sexual allegory. Though the poem’s
title figures the severing of Belinda’s hair as an overt sexual violation, Thalestris intimates that
Belinda’s ultimate concern should be what the Baron will do with the ringlet. She worries that the
Baron will display the curl to the public and thereby endanger Belinda’s honor and reputation. She
envisions the Baron’s triumphant exhibition of the hair: “Methinks already I your tears survey, /
Already hear the horrid things they say, / Already see you a degraded toast, / And all your honor
in a whisper lost” (107-10). Thalestris’ depiction of Belinda’s humiliation demonstrates society’s
emphasis on the external appearance of morality (i.e., reputation). Pope reinforces this focus on
appearances at the end of the canto when Belinda laments her lost curl: “Oh, hadst though, cruel!
Been content to seize / hairs less in sight, or any hairs but these!” (175-6). The “hairs less in sight”
suggest her pubic hairs, which are more explicitly sexual than the ringlet that the Baron stole.
Belinda’s preference for the theft of her public hairs indicates that she would rather compromise

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