RAPE OF THE LOCK( Alexander Pope)
POPE AND HIS TIMES
Literary critics tend to name an age either after literary trends, or a handful of writers sufficiently central to that age. Thus, we can speak of an Age of Wordsworth but not an Age of Keats, a Pound Era but not a Williams Era or an Age of Frost. Pope is the major poet of his century, and the period of his lifetime (1688-1744) might justly be called the Age of Pope. Pope’s importance, however, extends far beyond his own times. Few major poets remain so unfailingly controversial, for Pope has deeply divided readers in almost every subsequent generation. He continues to engage us especially because his work requires us to clarify and to articulate our differences about literature itself. Pope is more than a gifted writer from a distant age whose writings still commands attention. Pope’s period has also been called the Augustan Age, Age of Satire and Age of Reason. This period sees the author facing a radical change in his reading public and prospects. In the best Augustan works social fact is being not only described but felt with a particular reality. Its substance, variety and interest are perpetually being recorded. And social behaviour is both recorded and corrected in the interest of good sense. That accounts for the sharp realistic descriptions and satirical tone and temper in the literature of the period. As a matter of fact, the most significant value of Augustan literature is that it is deeply rooted in society. English society had crossed a watershed in the middle of the seventeenth century. Dynamic and explosive conceptions of religion and politics, and complex but unstable literary fashions in poetry and prose, had to be rejected in favour of modes which would unite rather than divide men. The post-Civil War period generated a wish for harmony rather than for discord. The period could also be called the Age of Commerce, for important elements of business organizations surfaced - the Bank of England (1694), insurance and trading companies and the “Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.” Encyclopaedias of the Arts and Sciences began to appear. The Age, thus, had a definite tendency towards planned organization in all spheres of life, including that of literature. London was the economic and cultural heart of England. The city’s growth during the eighteenth century was phenomenal. Defoe called it ‘a great and monstrous thing’. It was during this period that London was transformed from a late medieval town into an early modern city. Yet despite its speed of change and growth it remained a healthy centre for literature. The special place of London in Augustan literature signifies the fact that London had become the symbol of national life. It was a period of expansion in terms of trade and commerce. The horizons of age were wider and more exotic than we sometimes remember. In Rape of the Lock, Belinda’s dressing table displays “the various off rings of the world.” Throughout the eighteenthcentury interest in the East was keen not only in the sphere of commerce but also in the arena of literature. The imaginative effect of the Orient’s luxuries and of its reported wisdom and virtue was far more influential than actual economic growth. This period, the post-Civil War and pre-Industrial Revolution period-was the Age of Pope, a period displaying an urgency for order in various spheres of national life. The rise of middle class further entrenched this urgency. The period also had a second look at the morals and manners of London High Society, as reflected in plays of Congreve, Goldsmith, and Sheridan and in the novels of Fielding.
1 Neo-classicism
The literary scene was, thus, typically rooted in the social scene. The desire for order sent the writers back to the classics with a new purpose. For the reason the period has also been called the Neo-classical period, the silver age of the European Renaissance. The interaction of medievalism and vigorous classical and continental influences produced the ideals which formulated the background for a new literary theory. The literary patriotism of the Renaissance flared up when Dryden described himself, with a proud humility as “a Man who have done my best to improve the Language, especially the Poetry”. And when Pope defined the task of the poet as the expression of “what oft was thought but ne’er so well expressed” (An Essay on Criticism) he was simply repeating a Renaissance idea to which Spenser, Shakespeare, and Milton would have given their assent. Pope’s constant ambition to be “correct”, which appeared to the Romantics as the last excess of arid pedantry, was informed by the same excitement that animated Spenser and Milton. This Renaissance quality reflected itself in the desire of the writers of this period to translate the classics from Greece and Rome. The purpose was to show up the backwardness of English poetry in relation to the Continent, and to offer new models. The result of all these endeavours was a period of literature dedicated to clarity, balance, and the classical tradition. Clarity meant plainness of meaning, and avoidance of obscure wit and complicated wordplay. Balance meant a tone of writing which avoided extremes of emotions. It also meant a point of view which avoided extremes of opinion. This temper has been most beautifully and typically expressed in Addison’s “Much can be said on both sides”. The classical appeal was there to offer models of excellence, not only as models for literature but also as models for social and personal morality. Literature was perceived as an effort to recreate the values of duty, piety, justice, and integrity – typical Roman and Greek ideals. A peculiarly paradoxical characteristic is noticed in the Augustan temper. Although the State stood for order, most of the major writers were in opposition to the State. They proclaimed lofty ideals which never became reality. But they refused to celebrate the State as did the Elizabethans. The Augustan writers, driven by their corrective temper, continued to condemn their age. Almost all the Augustans were satirists, including the mild Addison. The paradox can be explained in terms of the urgent desire of the writers to correct the morals and manners of man, society, and state. It was a purely secular desire, devoid of any religious standards as propagated by Milton. As a personality, Pope has always presented a problem. His physical deformity has been highlighted by many writers, including Johnson. History reveals a multitude of contrary and competing portraits of Pope. Lytton Strachey describes him as a “diabolic monkey”, gleefully pouring hot oil onto harmless victims below his window. Recent scholars and critics tend to portray him as a more upright figure, a generous friend and a righteous enemy, whose high-minded satire defends a landed, patriarchal, classic civilization against the vulgarity and corruption of the emerging bourgeois opportunist such as Walpole and Ciffer. Hazlitt describes him as a poet of artifice, triviality, and the indoors. Like the diverse portraits of Pope created by his contemporary painters, these literary sketches seem to find in Pope completely different personalities. Pope has himself pointed out this problem in his letter to Martha Blount: “Everyone values Mr. Pope, but everyone for a different reason.” Undoubtedly, he was an interestingly puzzling personality. He seems to agree with Montaigne who said: “If I speak variously of myself, it is, because I consider myself variously. All contraries are there to be found, in one corner or the another...! I have nothing to say my-self entirely, simply, and solidly without mixture, and confusion.” This self-portrait of Montaigne applies aptly to Pope. Pope was many men put together in a jumbled manner, but one fact stands out strikingly: he was always interesting, whether serious or non-serious
Check Your Progress 1
1. The Augustan Age was marked by many new developments. What were they? 2. What is Neo-classicism?
RAPE OF THE LOCK
During Pope’s life-time great occasional writing was produced. This fact has been underestimated by literary historians and critics. Any occasion, whether serious or trivial, could fire the imagination of the Augustan writers. Rape of the Lock was the result of an occasion, a highly specific occasion, that happened in the high society of London: the incident of the stealing of the lock of hair. But Pope’s major poems always manage to transcend, without renouncing, their origins in specific occasions. Rape of the Lock remains entrenched in the specific episode but transcends the shackles of triviality because of its mock-epic structure. The production of the poem has a history of its own. Young Lord Petre (1690-1713) cut off a lock of Arabella Fermor’s hair. It created a scandal in London’s high society. Arabella Fermor and Lord Petre belonged to fashionable Roman Catholic families. Pope was a Romantic Catholic too. His friend John Caryll asked him to write the poem to end the family feud caused by the scandal. The first version was produced in 1712, a year after the incident. The Roman Catholic element may have a bearing on the extensive use of religious rituals narrated in the poem. In its first version the poem was structured in two parts. In 1713 Pope added the sylphs, the card game, and the Cave of Spleen. Clarissa’s speech was introduced in 1717. This tendency to revise his poems after their publication was a peculiar practice of Pope. For most poets’ publication is a sign of closure. For Pope publication was not an inevitable sign of finality. A major poem seemed to him always open to change. The Dunciad too was produced twice (1728 and 1743). Pope claimed that he always waited at least two years after publishing. For less-skilled poets, his advice in An Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot was a blunt remark: “Keep your piece nine years”. The remark may be exaggerated, but it points out sharply Pope’s serious concern with the art of writing poetry. Creative process for him was not just a flight of imagination; it was plain, hard work. In his view, no work is complete and perfect; it is always open to revision, which may require deletion, addition, and restructuring. Rape of the Lock, as said earlier, went through his rigorous practice of revision .
Structure of the Poem Rape of the Lock has a five-canto structure.
1.Canto
means chief division in a long poem. Each canto has its definite, well-thought-out place in the whole structure of the poem. They flow out forward from each other, maintaining at the same time their individual, specific significance. But the total significance of the poem depends on the specific order in which they are structured by the poet. We shall note this fact as we move from canto to canto, arrive at the end of the poem, and then recapitulate the arrangement of the cantos to fully appreciate their inter-connection.conventions1 . Having admitted that “Slight in the subject”, the poet moves on to a description of sunrise. The purpose of this description is not to portray the glory of Nature, but to comment, by way of implication, upon the decadence of the London High Society, whose members keep on sleeping till noon. In this case, the heroine of the poem, Belinda, is still asleep. The rays of the sun do not attract her attention but make her impatient and irritable. She rings the bell three times, knows with her slipper, and presses her repeater watch. There is no response. The staff of high society families follow the examples of their masters and mistresses. At this juncture Pope introduces his supernatural machinery – another classical convention – in the form of Ariel, the guardian angel of Belinda. Ariel appears in Belinda’s dream as a handsome youth2 and tries to prolong Belinda’s “balmy rest” by taking her into an entirely different world populated by “bright inhabitants of air”. The emphasis on the airiness” of these creatures is further enhanced by the reference to “airy elves”. Belinda is informed by Ariel that she is looked after by “unnumbered spirits”, as light as the air – “the light militia of the lower sky.” These spirits have their origin in female bodies. After death they leave female bodies (vehicles”) and move into the air. But their female vanities do not end with death; they continue in the world of spirits in sylphs. (Note the feminist aspect: Belinda, the heroine, has any army consisting of female souls, led by her guardian angel, Ariel). Ariel goes on to describe in detail the categories of spirits. The souls of “termagants” return to the element of fire, because of their fiery temper. They are given the name of salamanders. The souls of mild-tempered women belong to the element of water. They turn into nymphs. The souls of prude ladies take the form of gnomes which are tied down to earth. And the souls of coquettes turn into sylphs and inhabit the lower sky” – they belong to the element of air. These spirits possess the power of changing their shape and sex as they wish.3 The sylphs guard the honour of beautiful young maidens. Gnomes are wicked, mischievous begins which take young innocent girl on to the wrong path. They raise the expectations and enhance the pride of these beautiful young girls. The result is that the girls are so overblown with pride and self-indulgence that they refuse 1 Compare Pope’s invocation with Milton’s in Paradise Lost, Spenser’s in Faerie Queen and Homer’s in The Odyssey. 2 Another epic convention. Recall Athene’s appearance in Penelope's dream as her sister in The Odyssey. 3 Another. epic convention, Recall Athene’s appearance both in male and female, forms in The Odyssey. In Paradise Lost, Milton's angels also display this power of assuming any form and sex at will.offers when they are made to them by eligible young men. Their empty brains are filled with gay ideas in the company of peers and dukes, knights, and the king. These damsels are doomed to seduction at an early age. Their pure female souls are tainted” under the wicked influence of gnomes, which do not spare even infants. They teach girls the art of coquetry which leads to their moral and social downfall. Gnomes are not good guardian angels for beautiful young girls. Sylphs make better guardians than gnomes. Women owe their vanity, coquetry, and chastity to sylphs. The sylphs guide their wards in the right direction. They also teach their wards the art of flirtation. A woman’s heart is turned into a toyshop. In these toyshops their admirers contend like warriors. People may call this “levity” in women, but they are blind to the truth. It is sylphs that are responsible for the fickleness of the female mind. Ariel announces to Belinda that he is one of the sylphs that guard her honour. He is her “watchful sprite”. Of late he has read her horoscope and found some dreadful event that is going to befall Belinda before sunset. Only Heaven knows the true nature of the foredoomed dreadful event. Ariel does not know what exactly will happen, how and where. He can only warn Belinda to be “most beware of man.” 4 At this moment Belinda’s lapdog, Shock, wakes up, leaps and wakes his mistress with his tongue. It is reported that at this very moment her eyes fall upon a love-letter. The flattering, flowery words of the letter drive away everything from her head. She sits down at her dressing table to prepare herself for the grand occasion. Pope describes in detail all “cosmetic powers” that preside over Belinda’s toilet. She prepares herself with great care, like Achilles preparing himself for battle in the Iliad. Here, the mock-epic element reaches its first climatic point. There is reversal of the central character. It is a heroine, not a hero that forms the centre of the epic. But the cosmetic preparations are no less meticulous than the martial preparations of a warrior. The description of a woman putting on make-up in terms of martial idiom effectively evokes the mock-heroic atmosphere. The table is cluttered up with all possible cosmetic items, brought from all the corners of the world – “the various off rings of the world”. Belinda’s maid, Betty begins to “deck” her mistress with these irresistible offerings – India’s “glowing gems”, scents from all Arabia”. Piles of pins, puffs, powders, patches, bible, and billet-doux form the weaponry of Belinda. She “puts on all its (here beauty’s) arms”, watches her reflection in the mirror with great care, examining the power of each smile and each flush. Each moment of preparation increases her charm (power). Now 4 Supernatural warnings are another form of classical convention. Recall heavenly warnings in The Odyssey.she is ready to go out into the world. She is surrounded by invisible sylphs. And for Belinda’s grand toilet, Betty, a mortal, is praised whereas the praise is due to the sylphs. Canto first ends on a note of suspense. The central character is introduced in great detail. Through the central character, Belinda, Pope seems to be satirising the decadent high society in which women have only one role-model, that of fashion conditioned female out to impress the opposite sex. But the description has such martial terms that it looks like a preparation for a battle of sexes. Vanity is the driving forces of Belinda, making her incapable of any genuine emotion. 4.2.1 Explanatory Notes and Comments (Lines) 1-12. The poem begins in the epic manner with ‘proposition’ announcing the subject. Virgil’s Aeneid announces ‘Arma Virumque Cano’ (Arms I sing, and the man). Milton opens with “Of man’s first disobedience...” Pope’s poem follows the epic convention, but the effect is intentionally parodic. Juxtaposed with the heaviness and grandeur of the propositions of Aeneid and Paradise Lost, the proposition of Rape of the Lock appears strikingly ludicruous: ‘Slight is the subject.’ The effect serves the purpose of the poet. 3. Caryll: John Caryll (1666-1736). An intimate friend of Pope. He asked Pope to write a poem to pacify the agitated families of Arabella Fermor and Lord Petre. 4. Belinda: Arabella Fermor in the poem. 5. Slight is the praise: References are to Virgil’s fourth Georgie translated by Dryden and Sedley. Pope combines the two and forms a pithy statement of the subject. Virgil’s fourth Georgie is the best example in poetry of a mundane subject such as the life of bees elevated to the dignity of poetry. Pope attempts a similar task in his poem, goddess: the muse of poetry according to classical convention A well-bred lord: Lord Petre-here. 7-11. Reference to Dry den’s translation of Virgil’s Aeneid (1.11): Can Heaven ‘ly minds such high resentment show; Or exercise their Spight in Human Woe? Pope’s lines are typically mock-heroic. There is a reversal of values here. The task is “bold” and men are little; and the rage is “mighty” in the “soft bosoms” of women. The slant of satire is obvious. Moreover, there is an actual reference to Lord Petre who was short of stature. The lines clearly bring out the ludicrous incongruity between heroic actions and their weak agents.
13. Sol: Latin word for the ‘sun’ Curtains: the curtains of the four-poster bed of Belinda timorous: timid. The sun seems to be afraid of sending its ray. 14. op’d - reopened 13-14. A hyperbolic statement. The comparison of the heroine’s eyes to the sun enhances the satiric import of the poem. One may suspect a serious intention of the poet in the use of the hyperbole. 17-20. Belinda rings the bell three times - the triple repetition is common in epic poetry. Receiving no answer, she knocks the ground with her slipper, displaying impatience. The repeater watch shows the hour of noon. It is no time for high society to get up. She goes back to sleep. 19-114. These lines were added in 1714. They introduce an important epic device - the supernatural machinery. 21. In epics the gods sometimes communicate to mortals in their dreams. There is a slight deviation here. Ariel first summons the dream in which he appears as a handsome youth. 23. birth-night beau: a young aristocrat splendidly dressed up for the ball in the honour of the King’s birthday. 27. distinguished care: special trust 28. right inhabitants of air: sylphs 30-34. In the 17th century educationists regarded the nurse and the priest as the chief sources of superstitious in young children. The nurse’s teaching is referred to in lines 31-32, and the priest’s in lines 33-34. 32. silver token: It was believed that fairies dropped silver pennies at night into shoes of maidens who kept the house clean and tidy. circled green: rings of grass of deeper green colour than the surrounding pasture. It was believed that the greener circle was caused by the midnight dances of fairies. 33. A reference to the Annunciation or Announciation or Announcement of the Angel to the Virgin Mary, and other similar visitations 37-38. A reference to St. Matthew, XI...thou hast hid these things from the wise and the prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.’ 41. unnumbered spirits: sylphs. 42. light militia: a reference to aerial sylphs distinguished from ethereal beings. Pope represents has spirits in military formations. Lower sky: lower air. 44. Hang o’er the box...the: In Pope’s time two principal places for public display of beauty and fashion were the box at the theatre and the drive (the Ring, also called the Tour or Circus, in Hyde Park). 45. equipage: a carriage and horses with attendant footmen. 46. chair: a sedan chair, mode of conveyance in which a person in a closed chair was carried on poles by two men. 47. A reference to Ovid’s Metamorphoses, XV, for the origin of the transmigration of the soul. The idea that the sylphs etc. were once women in Pope’s own and does not form part of the Rosicrucian philosophy. 47-104. Ariel explains the world of the sylphs to Belinda. The use of supernatural was regarded as an important convention by epic poets. Homer and Virgil had chosen their machinery from classical mythology. Pope chooses to base his supernatural machinery on the Rosicrucian system, rather than invent his own. 49. repair: move 50. vehicles: the body. A pun on vehicles and equipage (line 45) is probably intended. 51. transient: temporary 54. Although she cannot play cards in the form of a spirit, she still loves watching a game of cards. 55-59: a reference to Virgil’s Aeneid, VI, in which Virgil describes the afterlife of heroes. Here again we notice an inversion of the central character from male to female. The inversion is intentionally mock-heroic. Chariots: both chariots mentioned in epics and at the same time contemporary carriages, which were called chariots. Another instance of mock-heroic. 56. Ombre: a kind of card game for three players 57-66. Pope borrows the idea of four classes of spirits from Le Comte de Gabalis, but the idea of their human origin is his own invention. According to Gabalis, the air is inhabited by a multitude of spirits having human shape, called sylphs. The nymphs, mostly of the female sex, live in waters. Gnomes, the guardians of treasures and precious stones, inhabit the earth. Fire is the element in which salamanders thrive. These elemental creatures could be made a ‘familiar’, or spirit available at call, and retained at home as a lover disguised as a lapdog or a parrot or a monkey. 58. first: original; dominant. Earth, Air, Fire and Water are the four elements referred to. 59. termagant: virago; quarrelsome, abusive, violent women 60. salamander: a lizard-like animal supposed to live in fire 62. tea: according to the pronunciation of Pope’s time, a perfect rhyme with away 66. fields of air: reference to Aeneid, VI. The phrase also occurs in Virgil’s Georgis: “The nimble horsemen scour the fields of air.” 68-78. Several hints are borrowed from Milton’s angels. Like the sylphs in Gabalis and Milton’s angels, Pope’s spirits can change their shape and sex at will. The sylphs in Pope’s poem are represented as invulnerable like Milton’s angels: For spirits when they please can either sex assume or both... Paradise Lost, I 72. masquerades: masked assemblies, often called balls 73. spark: ‘A lively, showy, splendid, gayman. It is commonly used in contempt.’ (Johnson’s Dictionary). 79. too conscious of their fate: much too aware of their beauty 81. these: the gnomes. Pope makes the gnomes bad, wickedly contriving vexations for mankind. Swell their prospects: raise their expectations. 82. disdained: looked down upon 89. bidden blush: made up through rouge 91-104. The sylphs are responsible for the proverbial fickleness of women. The mystique of feminine beauty and the puzzling female behaviour are explained in terms of the sylphs. Pope’s originality lies in transforming the country creatures of fairyland into the guardians of female morality and conduct in the sophisticated world of the 18th century drawing-room. 92. mystic: mysterious 94. impertinence: trifle; small, insignificant matter 96. treat: food and drink 97-98. Florio-Damon: names of imaginary gallants 100. moving: changing as well as fickle. A pun seems to be intended. 101-102.Reference to Homer’s the Iliad: Now shield with shield, with helmet helmet closed To armour armour, lance to lance opposed (Pope’s translation) Pope describes how rivals fight for the heart of a women. Sword-knots formed part of a beau’s attire. 105-114. Announcing himself as Ariel, Belinda’s guardian angel warns her against a terrible calamity that is about to happen to her. 107-111.References to the speeches of Uriel and Gabriel in Paradise Lost, IV. 112. Warnings are common in epics. 115. He said: an epic device is imitated here. Shock: a popular breed of lapdog brought from Iceland. The term is also calculated to shock the reader. 118. billet-doux: love letter. 121-148. A detailed description of Belinda’s dressing table. The arming of the epic hero is an indispensable epic convention. Belinda’s donning her beauty aids is especially reminiscent of Achilles’ elaborate preparation for battle in the Iliad. 124. cosmetic powers: deities who preside over the toilet. 127. The inferior priestess: the maid, Betty. Belinda is the superior priestess of her own beauty. She is “both a sincere devotee and divinity herself.” Cleanth Brooks calls such attitude the paradox of beauty worship.131. nicely culls: chooses with care 134. Arabia: source of perfumes. Recall Macbeth: “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.” 138. The combination of the articles mentioned in the line pointedly bring out the mockheroic tone. And the presence of “bibles” among the other irreligious things brings out the decadence of the 18th century high society of London. 139. A parody of the arming of the epic hero 140. The fair: a beautiful woman 144. The juices of belladonna or deadly ‘night-shade was used by women to enlarge the pupils of the eye and darken the surrounding skin. 145-147. Following Rabbinical authority, Pope identifies the sylphs with the fallen angels and allots to them the supervision of the toilet. 147. plait: arrange the folds 148. Betty: almost a common, generic name for a lady’s maid.
Check Your Progress 2
1. What epic conventions are used by Pope in the opening Canto? 2. How does Pope turn the heroic elements on their head? Give some examples. 3. Do you think Belinda`s grand toilet is described in a manner that resembles a preparation for war?
Canto II
The second canto begins with Belinda’s journey by a boat to a social occasion. The journey is a parody of the journey of Aeaneas up the Tiber in Aenied.5 Belinda’s eyes are compared with the sun. Her eyes shine on all alike. Surrounded by other beautiful dames, Belinda stands out as an extraordinarily beautiful lady. She is the centre of attention. She is the sun, 5 Journey is another epic convention used by Pope. Refer to the journey of Odysseus and compare the two journeys. You will at once notice the mock-epic tone.and the others are just planets. The solar system analogy highlights the brilliance of Belinda’s beauty. Pope finally comes to the description of Belinda’s famous locks of hair, which are the source of contention in the poem. The locks have devastating power - they are the destruction of mankind”. They hang gracefully in equal curls and decorate her ivory white neck like “shining ringlets.” The locks are snares that attract men’s hearts and keep them as slaves in their beautiful “labyrinths”. Belinda’s devastatingly beautiful locks have been the ambitions of all young men of London society, particularly the Baron (Lord Petre). The Baron has long been planning to possess the locks as love tokens. Like an epic hero, he invokes divine assistance.6 In a parody of epic invocation to the gods, he sacrifices tokens of his former love-affairs to the god, Love. He also sacrifices twelve French romances and love letters. With his sighs he fires the pyre of his sacrificial objects, falls prostrate and preys to Love to grant him Belinda’s locks. But Love grants him only half his prayer - one lock. Meanwhile Belinda sails on her majestic boat, serenely beautiful. She feels secure and smiles on all and “and all the world was gay”. Excepting Ariel, who is worried about the impending doom. He gives detailed instructions to the sylphs to guard her closely. The “denizens of air” take up their appointed positions like soldiers guarding their general. Ariel reminds his soldiers of black omens” 7 and orders them to be extra careful and attentive. If they fail in their assigned talks, they will have to face “sharp vengeance” which Ariel describes in vivid details. Although Belinda sails on confidently, her army is tense with fear and suspense, waiting with beating hearts for the dire event.” The second canto also ends on a note of suspense. 4.3.1 Explanatory Notes and Comments (Lines) 1. ethereal plains: the heavens 3. the rival of the beams: Belinda is equal to the sun in the glory of her appearance. An example of hyperbole. 13-14. Like the sun which shines on everyone, Belinda’s eyes shine on all alike. The sun comparison carries a multiplicity of meaning. She is represented as a flirt; at the 6 Another epic convention. 7 An epic convention. Omens - good or bad - are common in epics. Refer to the Odyssey same time she is compared to a munificent prince distributing his largesse impartially. 14. St. Matthew: V.45: ‘He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjest.’ A rather blasphemous allusion to the above seems to be intended. Describe the mingled response of flattery and censure implied by this line. Look also at line 10. 19. Is this implication serious or playful? 25. springes: traps or snares 26. finny prey: poetic diction for fish 28. Persius, V.247: She knows her man, and when you rant and swear, Can draw you to her with a single hair. (Dryden’s translation) 30. Julius Caesar’s famous saying: Veni, Vidi, Vici. Is there a suggestion of bravado here? 31. meditates: plans 32. This kind of antithesis is an epic commonplace. Paradise Lost, 11.40 ff. 35. Phoebus: the sun 36. Ceremonies of propitiation are part of the epic formula. 38. twelve vast French romances: Pope is satirising the interminable French prose romances of the seventeenth century of which Le Grand Cyrus of Mll.de Scudery is a typical example. To some extent the novels of Richardson (vide Sir Charles Grandisori) are descendants of the French romances. 42. three amorous sighs: repeated three times to conform to the conventions of the epic 47. secure: free from care (from the Latin securus) 48-72. These lines were added in 1714. 52. Beneath the obvious mockery, do you detect a genuine admiration for Belinda? Clarify Pope’s attitude to his subject. 53-54. Iliad X.I ff. All night the chiefs before their vessels lay, And lost in sleep the labours of the day: All but the king; with various thoughts oppressed His country’s cares lay rolling in his breast. (Pope’s translation) 55. denizens: inhabitants 56. lucid: in the sense of the Latin lucidus; clear 57. shrouds: the sail ropes; here, probably the sails 64. The gossamer, spun by a kind of spider, was formerly supposed to be the product of sun-burnt dew. 65-68. Paradise Lost, V.283: And colours dipped in heavens Sky-tinctured grain. 70. Superior: In the Latin sense of higher. Like the heroes of the epics, Ariel is represented as taller than his fellows. 73-142. These lines were added in 1714. 73. sylphides: female sylphs. The sylphs may, of course, change their sex at will. 74. Pope is parodying Paradise Lost, V. 601: Thrones, Dominions, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers. The rather formal and stately speeches of Ariel are intended as parodies of the grandiloquence of Homeric and Miltonic speeches. 75. spheres: fields of action 79. wandering orbs: comets 84. painted bow: rainbow 86. globe: a common word in the poetic diction of the time meaning earth 89. Pope’s parody of national guardian angels found in Addison and Dryden 91. the fair: the fair sex 93. gale: poetic diction for breeze 97. wash: ‘a medical or cosmetic lotion.’ (Johnson’s Dictionary) 100. furbelow: the pleated border of a dress or a petticoat 103. slight: sleight, or trick 105. Diana’s law: the law of chastity 113. drops: earrings 115. Crispissa: The name is modelled on the verb to crisp meaning to curl, from the Latin crispo. 116. A satire on the vogue for lapdogs among fashionable ladies. 117. The reference is to the shield of Achilles forged and decorated by Vulcan. Iliad, XVIII. 701-4. 118. The description of Belinda’s petticoat is a parody of the description of the shields of epic heroes such as Achilles and Ajax, so magnificently narrated by Homer. The elaborate ‘hoop petticoat’ was a favourite target of Addison’s satire. 119. that sevenfold fence: In epic poetry shields are often made of sevenfold strength. Aeneid, VIII. 448. 121. silver bound: the silver fringe of the petticoat 123. Iliad, VIII. 7 ff. for Jove threatening disobedient gods with terrible punishments. 124. at large: unprotected. 126. vials: phials, small glass bottles 128. Pope plays on the various meanings of the world bodkin. Here it means a bluntpointed needle: at IV.96 and 1.95, and ornamental hairpin, and at V.55, 88 and 95, a dagger for Belinda, and a spear for the sylph. 129. pomatums: ointments 131. styptics: applications to check bleeding 132. rivelled: shrunken, shrivelled 133. Zeus was enraged with Ixion, King of Thessaly, for making advances to Hera. He struck him with his thunderbolts and caused Hermes to hurl him into Tartarus, the underworld, where he was bound to an ever-revolving wheel. 134. whirling mill: i.e., the chocolate mill 138. Paradise Lost, V. 594 ff. The sylphs are like the angels of Milton. 139. third: the contemporary equivalent is thread (verb)
Canto III
The third canto introduces Hampton Palace, the centre of the contemporary high society of London. The Palace is visited by all fashionable men and women of London and is a hot centre of gossip. They indulge in small talks about balls and visits. Here reputations fall like cards. The sun has started moving westward. It is the time when people return from work. But Belinda’s crowd is engaged in petty games of cards. Belinda plays at ombre–a particular type of card–game to defeat two adventurous knights. The game is described in heroic terms and style as a parody of battle scenes in epic poems. The slightness of the subject is enhanced further. The implication is obvious– the energy, passion and purpose which are devoted to serious and glorious tasks are reduced to a game of cards in Belinda’s world. After defeating “both armies”–the two adventurous knights–Belinda now turns to the Baron and gets involved with him at ombre. Pope gives a detailed description of various kinds of cards to further enhance the mock-heroic aspect of the poem: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, in wilder disorder seen, With thronge promiscuous strew the level green.Thus when dispersed a routed army runs, Of Asia’s troops, and Africa’s sable sons, With like confusion different nations fly, Of various habits, and of various dye: Thus, giving the card game the global dimension, Pope only brings to light the smallness and fickleness of Belinda’s world–the contemporary London society. The game between Belinda and the Baron goes on for quite some time. Belinda declares trumps and starts the game. First victories go to her–she wins four tricks. Only the last trick remains to be played on which depends Belinda’s victory or defeat. Her heart full of trepidation, she plays the last trick with her ace of heart. The Baron is finally vanquished. Belinda is as joyous in her victory as an epic hero. The nymph exculting fills with shouts the sky: The walls, the woods, and long canals reply. The game is followed by another ritual of high society–the coffee8 . Pope once again describes this social ritual in grand epic style, making a mockery of it, and of those who indulge in it. Coffee inspires the Baron with another plan to turn his defeat into victory. It is a treacherous and hideous plan. His “new stratagems” find the most potent weapon in Clarissa’s scissors– “a two-edged weapon.” Like a lady in romances, Clarissa offers the weapon to her knight who accepts it with great “reverence”. Just as Belinda bends her head over coffee, the sylphs swiftly move to the locks and give her warnings of the coming doom by blowing back the hair. Belinda looks back thrice. But Ariel’s attention is diverted when he notices “an earthly lover” lurking in the close recesses” of her virgin heart. He is so amazed and confused that his powers fail, and he resigns himself to fate: The Baron’s persistenc pays at last: The meeting paints the sacred hair dissever From the fair head, for ever, and for ever! The result is catastrophic. Belinda “screams of horror rend the affrighted skies”. The Baron triumphs and Pope ironically compares the loss of the lock to the fall of empires: 8 In epic poetry a victory is followed by a grand feast – an epic convention. Here it is followed by coffee Steel could the labour of the gods destroy, And strike to dust the imperial towers of Troy; 4.4.1 Explanatory notes and comments (Lines) 1-8. Here is a fine example of the mock-heroic. First, there is an elaborate description of a well-known building, Hampton Court. Notice how the trivial is wedded to the grand which is a salient feature of the mock-heroic manner. 5. Hampton stands for Hampton Court, the Royal Palace, approximately 15 miles up the Thames from London. 7. three realms: The Union of England and Wales with Scotland had taken place only five years earlier in 1 707. 8. A celebrated example of zeugma 12 visit: a formal visit paid by one fashionable woman upon another. 17-18. The reference is to the Spectator (June 27, 1711), in which Addison ridicules the importance attached by social convention to the beau’s snuff-box and the lady’s fan. 19. Note how the passing of time is indicated. Point out the subtlety with which social satire is merged with this and other similar passages. 25-104. Added in 1714. 25-26. A celebrated parody of the epic convention. The game of ombre is described in terms of a colossal battle scene. 27. ombre: Introduced into England from Spain in the seventeenth century, it attained its fullest popularity in the eighteenth century. In playing ombre a pack of forty cards was used, that is to say, the full pack after discarding all the 8’s, 9’s and 10’s. The value of a card depended upon its colour and whether it was a trump or not. The ace of spades (Spadillio) always ranked highest, and the ace of clubs (Basto) ranked third highest. These aces were also known as matadors. After the cards were dealt, the ombre was fixed upon. The player who considered that he had the best chances of winning the game declared himself the ombre (from the Spanish ‘hombre’ meaning ‘man’). To win the game the ombre had to make more tricks than the others. This meant that the ombre had to make five tricks if one of his rivals made four, but only four, if his rivals made only three and two. In the game of ombre described in the poem. Belinda and the Baron are virtually the sole contestants,since the third player is eclipsed by the other two. At the beginning of the game, each player receives nine cards. Noting her good hand, Belinda takes the initiative and declares herself the ombre. ombre singly: Belinda is the ombre because she plays the game without a partner against the others. 30. sacred nine: The Muses, the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, who preside over poetry and the other arts. This number, the product of three (the perfect number) multiplied by itself, was regarded as magical. Pope probably implies that the number of cards dealt out to each player has some inner meaning. 33. Matador: Literally Spanish for murderer. The three best cards in ombre are so called because they are supposed to kill their rival cards. 34. Sylphs, like classical deities and angels, are very mindful of rank and hierarchy. 35. succinct: girded up (from the Latin succinctus–girt up). The Knave (servant) has his clothes girded up to show his menial position. 42. halbert: A kind of combination of spear and battle-axe. 45-46. Having in her hand three matadors, i.e., the ace of spades (spadillio), the two of spades (manillio) and the ace of clubs (basto), and a king, Belinda declares trumps. ‘The Ombre had the privilege of deciding which suit should be trumps.’ (Elwin). 46. Probably a facetious parody of the divine fiat : And God said, “Let there be light”: and there was light. Genesis 1.3. 47-50. Belinda starts the game. In order to draw out the trumps of her opponents, she leads her matadors. The tricks are won by Belinda with her ace of spades (spadillio). Sable: poetic diction for ‘dark’ 49. Spadillio: From Espadilla, Spanish for the ace of spades 50. Manillio: The second in rank of the three matadors. ‘Where spades or clubs were trumps, Manillio was the two of trumps, and when hearts or diamonds were trumps, Manillio was the seven of trumps.’ (Elwin) 51-52. Belinda wins the next trick also with her two of spades (manillio). 53-55. Next Belinda leads Basto (the ace of clubs), the third highest ranking card, which counts as a trump, winning another trick over trump and a throw-away card from the third player 55-64. Belinda leads her king of spades. She wins the Baron’s knave and the knave of clubs of the third player. 61. Pam: The name given to the knave of clubs in the game of loo. 65-66. Thus far Belinda has made four tricks and one more would win the game for her. But now the Baron gains the initiative. 67-68. Belinda leads the king of clubs, which is trumped by her adversery’s queen of spades. 68. the imperial consort: periphrasis for ‘the queen’ 75-78. The next three tricks are also won by the Baron with his powerful king, queen and knave, all of diamonds. 91-92. There remains only the last trick to be played, on which hangs victory or defeat for Belinda. 92. codille: If either of Belinda’s rivals won the game, he would have given ‘codille’ to her. Codille is a term used at ombre when the game is lost by the person who challenges to win. 94. nice: In the older sense of fine or delicate 95-98. Belinda has the king of hearts, the card with the highest value in its suit. But she fears that the Baron may lead another diamond and give codille to the ombre. But luckily for her, the cards in her opponents’ hands are both hearts. The Baron leads the ace of hearts and the game is over in Belinda’s favour. 98. ‘Unless hearts were trumps, the ace of hearts ranked after king, queen and knave.’ (Elwin) 105-24. The elegant ceremonial of coffee which succeeds the game of cards takes on a new dimension when we recall that it is a parody of descriptions of fabulous feasts in the epics. Instead of the epic feasts – the beefsteak in Homer, the loads of sausages in Tassoni, the piled refectory fare in Boileau – there is in Pope the lacquer and silver ceremonial of coffee. The description is a delightful diminution of the epic feast. Notice how Pope succeeds in magnifying the coffee ritual. 106. The coffee beans were first roasted and then ground. 107-110. The references to Japan, China etc. serve to universalize the theme 107. shining altars of Japan: lacquered or “japanned’ tables 110. China’s earth: periphrasis for porcelain cups 117. A satirical reference to armchair politicians who frequented the coffee houses of the day 122. The story of Scylla and Nisus is found in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, VIII. King Nisus had a purple hair on which depended the safety of his kingdom. His daughter Scylla betrayed the secret to Minos of Crete with whom she had fallen in love. She stole the magical hair from her father’s head for which impiety she was turned into a bird. Note that the Scylla of the Scylla and Charybdis legend in the Odyssey is different. 128. a two-edged weapon: periphrasis for scissors 137. Note Pope’s use of the epic practice of doing a thing three times. 143-146.Remember that according to the Rosicrucian doctrine, mortals could enjoy ‘the most intimate familiarities with these gentle spirits, upon a condition....an inviolate preservation of chastity.’ (Pope’s dedicatory letter) 147. farfex: Latin for scissors (Make a list of the other words used for scissors. What is their effect?) 149-152. These lines were added in 1714. 151. Fate urged the shears: i.e., the scissors (shears) were driven to complete the deed (of cutting the lock of hair). Note Pope’s used of the epic instrument of Fate. 153. Milton, Paradise Lost, VI. 330. But the ‘ethereal substance closed Not long divisible 157-160. Note the effective use of anti-climax in these lines. 165. Atalantis: Mary Manly’s (1663-1724) notorious and libellous novel (1709) with its thinly disguised account of contemporary scandals. 171. receives its date: is brought to an end 173. the labour of the gods: According to the legend, Troy was built by Apollo, the sun god, and Poseidon, the sea god.
Check Your Progress 4
1. The elegant coffee ceremony which succeeds the game of cards is a parody. What is it a parody of and what effect does it produce? 2. What is the loss of Belinda`s lock of hair compared to and why?
Canto IV In the fourth canto Pope tries to give a deeper psychological explanation of the emotional state of Belinda. Deserted by Ariel and the sylphs, she is, ironically, helped by a gnome, Umbriel. Umbriel goes down into the earth – “his proper scene” – in search of the cave of Spleen. Pope, here, uses an allegorical method, describing how Umbriel imitates the descents to the underworld of epic heroes such as Odysseus and Aeneas.9 The description of the cave is vivid and introduces another supernatural element – the underworld. In her cave, Spleen sits like a queen and “sighs forever on her pensive bed.” Her attendants are Pain and Megrim (migraine). A perpetual vapour flies over the palace of Spleen. She is a symbol of ill nature and affectation. Her palace is full of bodies changed to various forms by Spleen. Everything is out of shape, displaying the ill-nature of Spleen. Umbriel reaches her through this “fantastic band” and addresses her like Nisus in Aenied. He begins by flattering her: She rules the female sex from fifteen to fifty; she is the source of “female wit”, hysterics, “poetic fit” which produces melancholic plays. (Here is an example of Pope’s attack on some of his contemporaries). He requests the goddess to touch Belinda with “chagrin” so that she can face her sad fate. His purpose is to pray to Spleen to grant Belinda new weapons to meet with an entirely new kind of challenge. Spleen is impressed by Umbriel’s long, flattering speech, and grants his prayer. Umbriel is given a “wondrous bag” 10 containing sighs, sobs, passions, bitter speech. He is also given a vial filled with “fainting fears, soft sorrows, melting griefs, and flowing tears.” Rejoicing in his successful campaign, Umbriel comes back to the surface of earth to find Belinda lying in the arms of Thalestris in utter dejection. He opens the bag over 9 Journey to the underworld is an important epic convention. Recall the Hall of Hades in the Odyssey. 10 Recall the bag of winds given to Odysseus by Aeolus in the Odyssey. But the difference in the two situations is obvious. Odysseus was not supposed to open the bag. Here the bag must be opened to incite Belinda Belinda’s head. The Furies (fiery emotions) rush into her mind and her body begins to burn with “more than mortal ire”. The flame of her superhuman anger is fanned by the long, exhorting speech of Thalestris: “And all your honour in a whisper lost!” The loss of the lock would become a social scandal. Thalestris seeks the intervention of Sir Plume, her beau. Sir Plume, in a typically broken speech of a high society gentleman, asks the Baron to return Belinda’s lock. The Baron declares in no uncertain terms that the intends to keep the lock till the moment of his death: ...while my nostrils draw the vital air, This hand, which won it, shall for ever wear. Finding the bag of no use, Umbriel breaks the vial over Belinda, and instantly her strategy takes a new turn. Finding her anger ineffectual, she uses the most potent of female weapons-tears. She appears in her “beauteous grief and with a sigh makes an appeal to the Baron, recalling the course of the whole unfortunate day and requesting him to return the lock. The canto ends with her appeal, leaving the reader, once again, in suspense. 4.5.1 Explanatory Notes and Comments (Lines) 1-15. The psychological state of Belinda is described in terms of an epic convention, a visit to the underworld. 1-2. Virgil, Aeneid, VI. 1-4: But anxious cares already seized the queen: She fed within her veins aflame unseen; The hero ‘s valour, acts, and birth inspire Her soul with love, and fan the secret fire. The Virgilian echo in the lines implies a secret fondness on the part of Belinda for the Baron and is therefore very appropriate. 8. manteu: a loose upper garment worn by women, also called a mantua 11-92. These lines were added in 1714. 13. The description of the descent into the infernal regions is a common feature of many epics. Pope seems to be closely following Ovid’s description of the cave of Envy in Metamorphoses. II. Refer to also Odyssey, XI and Aeneid, VI 16. Spleen: a malady which had for its symptoms lowness of spirits, or sulkiness, supposed to be caused by an excessive secretion of black bile or melancholy humour by the spleen. The most comprehensive treatise on the ailment is Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy. 18. vapour: popular name for spleen 20. the dreaded east: the east wind was supposed to induce an attack of melancholia. 21-22. Burton’s melancholies avoided light. 24. Megrim: migraine, severe headache 39-78. Look at the other medical’ references in this canto. What do you gather from it about eighteenth century medical lore? 25. wait: wait upon 30. lampoons: satirical writings filled with malicious personal attacks 40. strange phantoms: the spleen was thought to induce hallucinations 43. spires: The reference is to Milton’s description of the serpent approaching Eve: ...................................erect Amidst his circling spires (Paradise Lost, IX) 40-54. Pope’s lines on the cave of Spleen cleverly satirise the ailments of fashionable society. Comment on this passage as an aspect of Pope’s art. 43. Pope is satirizing the scenic effects of contemporary opera and pantomime. 46. machines: stage devices for lowering celestial characters 51. pipkin: a small earthenware pot. In Homer’s Iliad XVIII, Vulcan is described as making walking tripods. 52. ‘Alludes to a real fact, a lady of distinction imagined herself in this condition.’ (Pope’s note). 53. The person referred to was one Dr. Edward Felling, the queen’s chaplain. 56. spleenwort: a kind of fern. Suggested on the analogy of the golden bough which Aeneas carried as talisman in the underworld. 57. a parody of Nisus’s speech to Luna in Virgil’s Aeneid, IX. 59. Creative genius was supposed to be induced by melancholy. 64. pet. fit of ill-temper 67. ‘Jealousy, envy, capriciousness, suspicion were traditional symptoms of the spleen.’ (Cunningham). 69. citron waters: brandy flavoured with citron or lemon peel. ‘There are numerous allusions in the literature of Pope’s day to the fondness of women of fashion for this drink.’ (Elwin) 71. horns: traditionally associated with cuckoldry 81. A wondrous bag... Like that where once Ulysses held the winds: ‘(Aeolus) presented me with a leather bag, made from the flayed skin of a full-grown ox, in which he had imprisoned the boisterous energies of all the Winds. For you must know that Zeus has made him Warden of the Gales, with power to lay or rouse them each at will.’ (Odyssey, X. 19-22. Trans. E.V. Rieu). 89. Thalestris: queen of the Amazons; a race of warrior women; here the name stands for Mrs. Morley. 90. Unbound hair is conventionally regarded as a sign of mourning in epics. 100. The curl papers of ladies’ hair used to be fastened with strips of pliant lead. 107. Reference to Iliad, XXII. where Hecuba forsees the death of Hector: Methinks already I behold thee slain, And stretched beneath that fury of the plain. 109. degraded toast: a lady whose health is no longer drunk at banquets. 114. exposed through crystal: set in a ring 117. Hyde-Park Circus: another name for the Ring (See Canto I). 118. Bow: The church of St. Mary le Bow is in Cheapside. ‘In the sound of Bow’ means the City, dominated by the mercantile classes. 121. Sir Plume: Sir George Browne was the original of Sir Plume. 124. nice conduct: affected flourishing clouded cane: cane variegated with lighter and darker markings. 127-130. Sir Plume’s speech is set in a lower key. Examine its features. What is its impact on the reader? 128. Zounds: The oath is a corruption of God’s wounds. Refer to Sir Anthony in Sheridan’s The Rivals. 133. Iliad, I. Now by this sacred sceptre, hear me swear, Which never more shall leaves or blosom bear, Which severed from the trunk (as I from thee) On the bare mountain left its parent tree... 135. honours: ‘a Virgilian word, evoking pious observances and the trophies of battle. (Cunningham) 147. Reference to Iliad, XVIII. Containing the lament for Patroclus addressed by Achilles to his mother Thetis. 156. bohea: The name was given in the beginning of the 19th century to the finest kinds of black tea. 164. Poll: parrot
Check Your Progress 5
1. Discuss the use of allegory in the cave scene in Canto IV.
Canto V
Canto Fourth paves the way for Clarissa’s speech in Canto Fifth. The purpose of Clarissa’s speech is to state more clearly the moral of the poem. In a way, she performs in the poem the same task of reconciliation which Pope was requested by his friend, Caryll, to do between the two feuding families. It is ironically dramatic that Clarissa, who supplies the scissors, should be assigned the task of putting the quarrel in the right perspective. When the arsenal supplied by Spleen fail to have any effect on the Baron (“Fate and Jove stopped the Baron’s ears”). Clarissa steps into the fray gracefully and points out the vanity of beauty and self-worship. She also points out the powerlessness of beauty in certain situations: How vain all these glories, all our pains, Unless good sense preserve what beauty gains: Beauty cannot charm the small-pox or chase old age away. Time will have its toll on beauty: ......................frail beauty must decay, Curled or uncurled, since locks will turn to gray: Only “good sense” and “good humour” can prevail where anger and screams and tears fail. It is not beauty but merit which is lasting and more powerful: Beauties in vain their pretty eyes roll; Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul. Although Clarissa’s speech is well-timed and well-meant, it fails to cause any applause. Belinda is angered further as Thalestris calls Clarissa a “prude”, she declares war openly: “To arms, to arms!” and unleashes the furies of battle. Pope gives an epic treatment to the battle, thus adducing it into a farcical fight. Although he refers to the Olympian gods and goddesses, elegant ladies and gentlemen engage in a rough and tumble fight more like children than epic warriors. Umbriel watches the battle gleefully and claps his “glad wings”. The erotic quality of physical contact is also suggested in undertones. The Beaus “die” at the looks of beautiful eyes of the female combatants. The hyperbolic aspect of the combat is suggested by the memorable line: One died in metaphor, and one in song. In the beginning of the battle, the ladies are on a winning spree because of Thalestris surprise war-cry. But soon the effect of the surprise attack begins to lose its power because. Now Jove suspends his golden scales in air. Weighs the men ‘s wits against the lady’s hair.”11 At last, “the wits” prove too much for “the hairs”. Unable to defeat “the bold lord” (the Baron), Belinda throws snuff on the Baron’s face, causing his collapse in a fit of sneezing. Then she draws “a deadly bodkin” from her side and demands her lock of hair. The Baron, although defeated, makes his last plea: 11 An epic convention where the gods interfere and intervene in human affairs.
let me survive, And burn in Cupid’s flame, but burn alive. Belinda cries: “Restore the Lock!” 12 and the vaulted roofs of the Palace are reverberated by the words. She is compared to Othello’s demand for the lost handkerchief. But the irony is that the bone of contention is lost in the bustle of battle: The lock, obtained with guilt, and kept with pain, In every place is sought but sought in vain: Pope invents the accidental loss of the lock to provide a suitable mock-heroic ending which is also a compliment to Belinda. The lock is supposed to have flown to the sky to become a new constellation, immortalizing the beauty of Belinda. Ultimately the victory is Belinda’s since her name is now written amidst the stare. The poem ends rather abruptly, making the attitude of Pope ambivalent. The poem is remarkable for the balance of its style and the description of things. It is also remarkable for Pope’s witty use of the possibilities of the mock-heroic. But it is more remarkable for the ambivalence of its moral attitudes epitomized in Belinda. It is not certain which attitude prevails. Belinda is beautiful and dazzling, but vain, and she lacks “good sense” and “good humour.” Pope seems to forgive her faults because of her extraordinary beauty. Perhaps he was supposed to have some sympathy with Belinda and her world to be able to write about it with such poise and accuracy. The sympathy is clearly reflected in the last lines of the poem, where Pope offers the prize of immortality to Belinda to soothe her grieved heart: This lock the Muse shall consecrate to fame, And ‘midst the stars inscribed Belinda’s name. The poem is a proof to Pope’s promise to Belinda. And the credit goes to the great art of the poet rather than to the dazzling beauty of Belinda. 4.6.1 Explanatory Notes and Comments (Lines) 1-2. Aeneid, 1V.636ff Clarissa: ‘A new character introduced in the subsequent editions, to open more clearly the moral of the poem.’ (Pope’s note). Clarissa, who appears also at Canto III. 127, is new only in the sense that here she has a speaking part. 12 In a paraphrase the poet gives the history of the deadly weapon, another epic practice. 6. While Anna begged and Dido raged in vain: an allusion to Aeneid. In deference to the bidding of the gods that he should leave Carthage and found a new city. Aeneas forsook Dido despite her passionate reproaches and the pleadings of Anna, her sister. 7-36. The only addition made in 1717. 9-34. ‘Parody of the speech of Sarpendon to Glaucus in Homer.’ (Pope’s note). 14. According to accepted practice, front-boxes were occupied by ladies while the men took the side-boxes. Refer to Gay’s The Toilette: Not shall side boxes watch my restless eyes, And as they catch the glance, in rows arise With humble bows; nor white-gloved beaus approach In crowds behind to guard me to my coach. 34. Does the moral strike you as incongruous with the lighter touch of the satiric parts? 34-44. Is there a more serious aspect to the war of the sexes? 40. whalebones: gowns were given a ‘stiff support by a petticoat, the hoops of which were made of whalebone. 47. The reference is to Homer’s Iliad. Pallas is Pallas Athene, the Greek goddess of industry, wisdom and war. She is represented generally by a visage in which masculine firmness is dominant. Mars is the Roman god of war. Latona was the mother of Appllo and Artemis. She underwent much persecution. Hermes, also called Mercury, was the messenger of the gods. Note the comparisons to Belinda and the Baron. What effect do these evoke? 53. sconce: fort 64. ‘The words in a song in the Opera of Camilla.’ (Pope’s note). Composed by Marc Antonia Buononcini, Camilla was first performed in England in 1700. 71. A common epic device. Reference to the Iliad and the Aeneid. 74. the hair tips the scales 88. Pick out the contexts in which bodkin is used in Cantos 4 and 5. The puns on this single word epitomize Pope’s satiric method. 89. ‘in imitation of the progress of Agamemnon’s sceptre in Homer.’ (Pope’s note). The reference is to the Trojan War in the Iliad. 105. Othello, Act III, Sc.IV. 122. Dried butterflies: a satire on natural history collections. casuitry: lengthy scholastic quibbling to twist cases of conscience and duty. 125. The reference is to Romulus, the first king of Rome, who disappeared in a storm. It was rumoured that he had flown to heaven. 127. liquid: in the Latin sense of clear 127. An allusion to the transfiguration of Julius Caesar into a star (Ovid’s Metamorphoses) 129-30. To ensure the safe return of her husband from battle, Berenice, wife of Ptolemy III, dedicated a lock of her hair to the gods. When the lock was stolen, the court astrologer explained that it had been transformed into a constellation. 136. Rosamonda’s lake: a frequent resort of lovers in St. James’ Park. 137. Partridge: John Partridge was a ridiculous star-gazer, who never failed to predict the downfall of Pope and the King of France. 138. Galileo’s eyes: the telescope 142. bright Nymph: Belinda 143. sphere: In Pope’s time sphere was pronounced to rhyme with hair. 149-150. The transformation of Belinda’s lock into a constellation provides a fitting finale to the mock-heroic atmosphere of the poem
.Check Your Progress 6
1. What is the purpose of Clarissa`s speech? Does it achieve its objectives? 2. The poem ends on an ambivalent note. Do you think Belinda has the poet`s sympathies?
thanks
notes made by RITU RAJ KUMAR
