 Mock epic

A mock-epic or mock-heroic poem is a kind of narrative poem which deals with a very trivial
theme in a lofty and grand style with a view to satirizing and reformation. It is considered to be a
‘Parody of the Epic’. Alexander Pope, the representative poet of the 18th century in
England, brought the mock-heroic poems to its highest peak of perfection in his masterpiece The
Rape of the Lock. A critical analysis of the theme and manner of the poem is necessary to justify
how far The Rape of the Lock is a model of mock-epic.
The whole structure of The Rape of the Lock is cast in the epic mood, but it could not be a
serious epic because the incident is trivial—so we have the mock-heroic or heroi-comical poem. 
The poem is divided into Cantos like an epic poem, and there are ironic parallels to the main
Incidents of the epic. The mock-heroic quality of The Rape of the Lock lies in the very
beginning of the poem which parodies the conventional epic invocation that we find in
Homer’s Iliad, Virgil’s Aeneid and Milton’s Paradise Lost. The opening lines echo classical
epic:
I sing- This Verse to caryll, Muse! Is due;’
The statement of the central problem of the poem is presented in an epic manner. Belinda’s
dream reminds us of the Eve’s dream in Paradise Lost. If Eve dreams of Satan’s instigation,
Belinda dreams of Ariel’s advice and suggestion.
The trait of the mock-epic is that the theme is very trivial and ridiculous. The Rape of
the Lock is a rare instance in which the slight theme is given an exalted treatment for satirical
purposes. In Iliad, Homer glorifies war and heroism, in Paradise Lost, Milton justifies the ways
of God of man but in The Rape of the Lock, Pope deals with the cutting of a lock of hair from the
fashionable lady’s head, the quarrel and battle between the two opposite sexes. Instead of
genuine passions and deep thought, we found mock passions and artificial sentiments and
emotions in The Rape of the Lock.
Another important aspect of a mock-epic is its satiric and moral tone and The Rape of
the Lock satisfies the requirement completely. In the poetry, Pope attacks the so-called
fashionable 18th century English society where young men and women passed their time in
making flirtations and false love, visiting clubs and parks, drinking and pleasure seeking. Pope
exposes the ills and evils, faults and follies of his society.
Pope uses mock-heroic aspects in handling the ‘machinery’ or supernatural
elements in The Rape of the Lock. In The Iliad there are gods and goddesses; in The Rape of the
Lock, there are the sylphs and gnomes. These aerial spirits are small and insignificant things, and
are, therefore, exactly in keeping with the triviality of the theme. They guard the person of the
heroine and when there is a fight between the followers of Belinda and those of the Baron; they
take part in the fight, like the gods and goddesses in the Trojan War. In fact, his futile function of
the spirits cannot but mock us laugh.
An epic poem must contain some episodes also. In keeping with this practice, Pope has
introduced the episode of the game of Ombre which is described in great detail. There is also
the hazardous journey of Umbriel to the Cave of Spleen. Then there is the battle between the
lords and ladies just like the battles in epic poetry. But in the true mock-heroic style this battle is
fought with fans and snuff instead of with swords and spears.
There are single combats also between Belinda and the Baron and between Clarissa
and Sir Plume. Belinda's toilet is another engaging account in which Pope has attributed in a
perfect mock-heroic manner, the solemnity of a religious observance to the luxurious toilet of a
lady of fashion and frivolity. Puffs, powders, patches, bibles, billet-doux, are all brought to the
same table and the slight and the series are all strangely synthesized.
There is also a mock-epic quality in the presentation, description and allusions of
combat and battle that takes place between the male and female sexes. The heroic bombast of
the Baron must parody Hectorian orations. Then the battle between the Beaux and the Belles is a
right royal Homeric battle, even the game of Ombre is a delicate parody of epical fights. Holden
observes this mock-epic manner. 
To wind up, we can say that The Rape of the Lock is the finest of all epic poems we have
ever read. It is mock-heroic not only in content but also in its style.

 Style

The poem is divided into 5 cantos and written in a heroic couplet as he says, “Not with
more Glories, in th’ Etherial Plain, The Sun first rises o’ the purpled main, […]” (Pope. p88.
Lines 1-2). It consists of two rhyming lines in iambic pentameter. Each line contains five feet
of one unstressed syllable and one stressed.
The Rape of the Lock is a mock-epic poem. It is a narrative poem which uses epic
characteristics for trivial themes. Its purpose is to satirize the aristocratic society of England at
that time. In the first canto, the subject matter of the poem is established when Pope says “What
dire offence from amorous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things […]” (p
83 line  1-2). Pope portrays in a humorous way how triviality can lead to an unnecessary
battle. He also evokes a muse that gives the poem a heroic tone.
The rape of the lock has the characteristic feature of an epic but the subject is trivial.
The author satirizes the women’s extreme attention on self-decoration by portraying Belinda as a
powerful figure when he describes her routine as a ritual preparation that a hero has before a
battle. It is a mock-epic event in which Belinda’s reflection in the mirror becomes the image
of a Goddess. This sacred rite has a purpose that is to protect Belinda during her adventure day.
At the end of the ceremony, Pope makes emphasis on the combs, pins that become the weapons
of this heroine that is Belinda.
The central epic event in the poem is the theft of a lock of hair. As the Baron is
obsessed with Belinda, he is willing to do whatever he can to obtain anything that represents a
victory for him. When Belinda rejects him, he feels discouraged. As a result, he cuts Belinda’s
lock. This little action provokes a war which is not fought with armours and swords, but with
fans and snuff. Being Belinda a superficial and vain woman, it represents the worst thing that
could ever happen to her. It is in this context, that Pope satirizes the battle.
Furthermore, another epic element that Pope introduces is the participation of
supernatural forces. In The Rape of the Lock, there are sylphs, nymphs, gnomes and
salamanders. The sylph, Ariel, is an airy spirit that becomes a man or a woman whenever is
necessary and he can also see the future.  His job is to protect Belinda’s locks of hair. This adds a
humorous tone to the poem by exaggerating the operation of Ariel’s role. The sylphs are more
closely associated with Belinda because they have also been coquettes.
In conclusion to what has been analysed, The Rape of the Lock is a mock-epic poem
which satirizes issues that are considered important for the 18th century English society but not
for others, and how an insignificant subject can bring about a war. Alexander Pope ridicules the
idea of beauty imposed by society due to the fact that it is vain and superficial. What is more, he
includes supernatural elements in order to convey humour.

 Beyond the Lock: The Portrayal of Women in Pope’s The Rape of the
Lock

Today, the clipping of a woman’s hair—even against her will—would probably barely

excite the interest of those present, much less inspire a mock epic of five cantos. Alexander

Pope’s The Rape of the Lock sprung from a real-life event in which a man dubbed “the Baron” in

the poem stole a lock of hair from a woman re-named “Belinda.” The incident incited a feud

between the two families, and a friend of Pope’s advised him to write the poem in order to make

both families laugh about it (Marlowe 5474). Though serving a peaceful cause, the poem is not

entirely benign. “The Rape of the Lock is usually described as a ‘satire’ on the affected manners

and unreal sorrows of fashionable young ladies” (Wain 313). The poem portrays women in an

almost entirely negative light. Pope sees the women in his poem as frivolous, inconstant, and

as one-dimensional symbols.
 The portrayal of women as shallow and unconcerned with weighty matters begins in the

dedication of the poem. Pope mentions a book about the Rosicrucian machinery he uses in his

story, which “in its Title and Size is so like a Novel, that many of the Fair Sex have read it for

one by Mistake” (Pope Dedication ll.18-19). This statement insinuates that a woman would be

much more likely to deceive by the superficial aspects of the book than a man would. It may

also mean that a woman would not read a serious book unless she thought it was entertaining

fiction. In Canto I, Belinda thinks of her toilet as “…a ‘holy ritual’… in which Belinda is both

priestess and goddess, a priestess in her own worship” (Hyman 311). Additionally, the items she

employs in creating her image are listed, and “Bibles” are included in the list. A Bible should

not be used in improving one’s appearance towards others, nor would one need multiple Bibles

from which to study. This shows that Belinda views the Bible, and by extension religion itself,

as an accessory rather than as a serious matter (Jones 281-282). When Hampton Court, the

setting for most of the action, is described, it is said to be where Queen Anne “dost sometimes

Counsel take—and sometimes Tea” (Pope III l. 8). It seems the Queen is just as concerned with

socializing as she is with affairs of state. After the lock is stolen, Pope says the screams of the

women are equal to those lamenting the deaths of their most beloved companions: husbands and

lap dogs. Not only do women overvalue Belinda’s hair, but they also place pets on the level of

people. Re-emphasizing this point, Belinda’s friend Thalestris cries, “Men, Monkeys, Lap-dogs,

Parrots, perish all!” in bewailing Belinda’s loss (Pope IV l. 120).

Not only do women have a disproportional view of what is important, but they are also

shown to be inconstant to the point of duplicity. Belinda’s eyes are described as “‘ unfix’d,’

presumably flashing from man to man” (Jones 282). When Ariel, the leader of the magical

sylphs charged with protecting Belinda’s hair, looks in her mind, he finds the Baron inside her
heart. Thus, though Belinda acts upset that the Baron cut her hair, she must be at least somewhat

pleased with his attentions (Jones 284). This is made even more evident when she says to the

Baron, “O hadst thou, cruel! been content to seize / Hairs less in sight, or any hairs but these!”

(Pope IV ll. 175-176) Though critics disagree on whether the innuendo is made intentionally or

not, it no doubt reflects her innermost desires, which are quite contrary to her public behaviour

(Hyman 311). Belinda is not the only changeable female in the poem. The Baron gets the

scissors with which to cut the lock from a woman named Clarissa, who provides them without

even being asked (Jones 284). Later, Clarissa is actually the character who scolds the other

women for their foolishness, saying, “Charms strike the Sight, but Merit wins the Soul” (Pope V

l. 34). However, Clarissa’s providing the Baron with her scissors in order to cut Belinda’s hair

was hardly an act of merit! So, not only is Clarissa unfaithful to her gender, but she is also

hypocritical, another form of inconstancy.

To Pope, women are easily cast into categories and are generally seen as objects

rather than people. In explaining the Rosicrucian supernatural beings, he explains his “division

of women into four comparable types; coquettes, prudes, termagants, and acquiescents”

(Hyman 312). Women’s personalities seem to amount to little beyond their views on sexual

conduct. In the “Cave of Spleen”, there are women turned into bottles that cry out for corks.

These women are empty beyond their need for a male to complete them. Additionally, instead of

the Baron seeing Belinda as a person he wants to love, he sees only the Lock as a prize to be

stolen. “Th' Advent'rous Baron the bright Locks admir'd, / He saw, he wish'd, and to the Prize

aspir'd /Resolv'd to win, he meditates the way, / By Force to ravish, or by Fraud betray” (Pope II

ll. 29-32). Pope views Belinda only in the light of her physical appearance as well. He says of

her, “If to her share some Female Errors fall, / Look on her Face, and you’ll forget ’em all” (Pope
II ll.16-17). It is not her good character or her pleasant disposition that would earn her

forgiveness. All that seems to matter is her physical appearance; she seems almost a shell of a

person.

Pope is extremely uncomplimentary toward women in his “The Rape of the Lock”. The

women of this poem are shallow, changeable, and regarded as objects that are easily

categorized. After the poem was published, Pope realized he had offended the woman on whom

“Belinda” is based, and so he added a dedication appeasing her to his next edition. It makes one

wonder if the female population, in general, was also insulted by Pope’s words. No, come to

think of it, it is probably far too serious of a text for a woman of his time to pick up unless she

misjudged it as a novel.