"The Rape of the Lock"

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes various themes in "The Rape of the Lock", a poem by Alexander Pope, concentrating particularly on the theme of the "mock-epic". The paper shows the importance of the verse form and uses Pope's contemporary, John Milton, as a basis for contrast and comparison for the way in which Pope considered society.

From the Paper:

"Pope's use of the mock-epic genre is intricate and exhaustive. The Rape of the Lock is a poem in which every element of the contemporary scene conjures up some image from epic tradition or the classical worldview, and the pieces are wrought together with a cleverness and expertise that makes the poem surprising and delightful. Pope's transformations are numerous, striking, and loaded with moral implications. The great battles of epic become bouts of gambling and flirtatious tiffs. The great, if capricious, Greek and Roman gods are converted into a relatively undifferentiated army of basically ineffectual sprites. Cosmetics, clothing, and jeweler substitute for armor and weapons, and the rituals of religious sacrifice are transplanted to the dressing room and the altar of love."

More papers on "The Rape of the Lock":

• Poem Review # 71187 : "The Rape of the Lock"
• Comparison Essay # 32576 : "Paradise Lost" and the "Rape of the Lock"
• Analytical Essay # 58895 : "The Rape of the Lock"

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