The epic or heroic poem, as defined by M.H. Abrams, is "a work that meets at least the following cri
teria: it is a long verse narrative on a serious subject, told in a formal and elevated style, and c
entered on a heroic or quasi-divine figure on whose actions define the fate of a tribe, a nation or
the human race" (76). He also tells us that because of its elevated style, length and sheer magnifi
cence, there are only about half a dozen of such poems of "indubitable greatness". Abrams goes on
to list some of the conventions found within an epic poem: the narrator begins with his argument or
epic question invoking a muse to his aid he describes heightened and illustrious characters who ofte
n have divine lineage he establishes great battles or tasks over which the epic hero must triumph to
secure the tribe, nation or even race he/she is trying to defend. A mock-epic invokes similar conv
entions to a very different purpose. Abrams defines the mock-epic or mock-heroic poem as "that type
of parody which imitates, in a sustained way, both the elaborate form and the ceremonious style of
an epic genre, but applies it to narrate at length a commonplace or trivial subject matter" (27). On
e of the most powerful examples of a mock-epic is Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock. The poem i
s a humorous, mock-epic parodying the vanities and idleness of the eighteenth-century high society i
n Britain. In his poem The Rape of the Lock, Pope not only uses traditional epic conventions but als
o inverts them to create a mock epic for the purpose of satirizing his society. This method of inve
rsion underscores the ridiculousness of a society in which value has lost all proportion and the tri
vial has become paramount. The strategy of Pope's mock epic is not to undercut the genre form itsel
f; instead, he is mocking his society for failing to uphold the epic standards with heroes, battles
and values. Pope opens the poem with an epic question who's satirical tone signals his intent to rid
icule his society. As in traditional epics, Pope's poem opens with the invocation of a muse. He the
n asks a question that states the topic that the epic will address. In The Rape of the Lock, the ep
ic convention is inverted because the epic question is of a trivial subject matter. Pope writes; Sa
y what strange motive, Goddess! could compel A well-bred lord to assault a gentle belle? Oh, say wha
t stranger cause, yet unexplored, Could make a gentle belle reject a lord? In tasks so bold can litt
le men engage, And in soft bosoms dwells such mighty rage? (I, 7-12)
Here Pope states the epic que
stion or the primary concern of the poem: how a "well -bread lord could assault a gentle belle?" and
in return how a "gentle belle" could reject a lord? Pope emphasizes how trivial his poem is by appe
aling to the muse through an epic question. First, the reader is made aware that this form of epic
is not going to examine the details of the fate of a man, town, nation, or even humanity but rather
the flirtatious trifles of a "gentle belle" and a "well-bread lord". Through this inversion of an e
pic convention, Pope is satirizing his society by implying that they have no great subject or plight
about which to write a traditional epic. Instead, the most trivial of things, a quarrel between a
belle and a lord, stands as the most important subject upon which his society focused. The satire's
effect is seen because Pope is not necessarily saying that his country has not more important issues
on which to write upon; rather he is stating those issues are not addressed or even considered beca
use high society concerns are so trivial and frivolous. In fact, priorities and values have been so
inverted within British high society that the theft of a lock of hair is a great affront and a pres
sing matter. Similar to the previous epic convention inversion, Pope also uses the diction in his ep
ic question to emphasize the triviality of his society. In particular, he focuses on the word "assa
ult". Pope writes, "Say what strange motive, Goddess! could compel/ A well-bread lord to assault a
gentle belle?" (9-10). The connotation that the word assault carries, is far different from the act
ual "assault" that transpires within the poem. The word "assault" primarily refers to a violent act
that causes some form of bodily harm. By comparing a lock of hair that has been cut without permis
sion to an assault, Pope is making a statement about how incredibly inverted high society's values a
nd views have become. Hence, Pope satirizes the backwardness of his society by describing a trivial
incident using a word with such a violent and serious connotation. The epic having heightened and i
llustrious characters is another epic convention that Pope inverts to further illustrate his satire.
Abrams writes. " The hero of an epic poem is a figure of great national or even cosmic importance"
(77). Predominantly, in a classical epic the hero or heroine will be of some divine lineage or, at
least, bear some superhuman qualities. Pope's characters, although they are the main focus of a mo
ck epic, have neither great nor cosmic importance. Pope's parody, however, is tremendously skillful
because his characters take on similar actions that an epic hero or heroine would, but they are inv
erted to suit the triviality of the society he is trying to represent. A good example relates to Bel
inda spending time primping herself before the affair at Hampton Court Palace because this event par
allels an epic hero preparing for battle. "Belinda's toilet preparations are invested with all the
mock solemnity of the epic hero going to worship before arming for battle." (Gordon, 171) Yet, inst
ead of an epic hero worshipping a G-d before battle, Belinda has a ritualized worship of her own ima
ge in the mirror. Pope writes, And now unveil'd, the toilet stands display'd Each silver vase in mys
tic order laid. First rob'd in white, the nymph intent adores With head uncover'd, the cosmetic pow'
rs. A heavenly image in the glass appears; To that she bends, to that her eyes she rears. The inferi
or priestess, at her altar's side, Trembling begins the sacred rights of pride. (I, 122-128)
The na
rcissism within this passage is clearly satirical to exemplify the vanity Pope perceived amongst hig
h society at that time. The passage also has sacrilegious undertones as Belinda is clearly being por
trayed as some divine figure in the mist of worshipping herself. Her toilet, "unveil'd" like a reli
gious altar, coincides with the parody of this poem by putting something as trivial as a woman's dre
ssing table on the same level of importance as a religious alter. Ian Gordon, in a critical analysi
s of Pope's poem writes, "The parody of religious worship is of course a way of ridiculing Belinda's
vanity not religion itself, just as the use of mock-epic form in the poem as a whole is a way of di
minishing trivial events not an attempt to make fun of epic poetry." (172). Gordon explains that P
ope is using a ritual that an epic hero would traditionally undergo. He also discusses Pope's inver
ting some aspects to imply the absurdity of his society's obsession with vanity and other trivial ma
tters. This parody of the religious rites before a battle gives way, then, to another kind of mockepic scene: the ritualized arming of the hero. Pope writes, "Here files of pins extend their shinni
ng rows/ Puffs, powders, patches, Bibles, billet-doux./ Now awful Beauty puts on all its arms;" (136
-139). Here Pope makes combs, pins, cosmetics and love letters into weapons as "awful Beauty puts
on its arms." The juxtaposition between "bibles" and "billet-doux" suggests that Belinda cannot mak
e the crucial distinction between matters of spirituality and aesthetics. Further into the poem, Po
pe makes a similar parody when the Baron arises early to build an altar to love and pray for success
in his project. He sacrifices several tokens of his former affections including garters, gloves and
billet-doux. This sacrifice echoes a classical epic hero because a hero would generally make sacrif
ices to the G-Ds before a battle to offer respect and pray for victory. Pope's intent is to make it
comical that the Baron offers such slight sacrifices for such a vain and inconsequential purpose.
The depiction of Belinda as well as the Baron, illustrates the type of people in high society that P
ope satirizes. Pope's depiction reflects negatively on a system of public values in which external c
haracteristics rank higher than moral or intellectual ones. Pope uses another classical epic convent
ion: that of supernatural machinery being present in order to intervene on the hero or heroine's beh
alf. The inversion that Pope makes on this convention is quite clever and effectively satirizes the
trifling, petty high society of Britain. Instead of a powerful G-d being present, as was the case
in any classical epic, (generally a Greek or Roman G-d, or in the case of Milton the Judeo-Christian
G-d) the supernatural machinery in The Rape of the Lock consists of a rather unimpressive army of s
prites. Just as Hector was protected by Apollo, Aneas by Venus and Achilles by his divine mother Th
etis, Belinda is protected by a marginal sprite named Ariel. The difference is that the Greek and Ro
man G-Ds were great in terms of power and stature; Ariel and his fellow band of sprites are certainl
y not. Pope writes, "Transparent forms too fine for mortal sight,/ Their fluid bodies half dissolved
in light,/ Loose to the wind their airy garments flew, /Thin glittering textures of the filmy dew,"
(II, 61-64). This depiction of the sprites allows the reader to visualize the insignificance of th
ese supernatural beings. They are "transparent", "airy" and flighty, a possible metaphor for Pope's
society in general. In Canto two, the sylph Ariel, summons all the sprites to hear him speak to rem
ind them of their roles as guardians. The role of the sylphs is "to tend to the Fair"(II, 91); prim
arily to keep watch over the perfumes, powders, clothing and curls of the high society ladies, they
must "assist their blushes, and inspire their airs." (II, 98). Here the parody of high society beco
mes explicit, for instead of G-Ds being responsible for serious and grave matters, they tend to the
capricious flirtations and indulgent vanities of the men and women at court. Unfortunately, the gua
rdian sprites are not able to prevent tragedy from striking, and Belinda's lock is cut despite the f
act the sylphs attempt to warn her. Gordon comments, "Pope creates Machinery from the all powerful
deities who act as shapers of Fate and guardians of the heroes in the classical epic, to the tiny an
d fragile sylphs who vainly try to protect Belinda but can accidentally be cut in half if they are n
ot careful. This process of reduction and diminution in the structure of the poem is an essential pa
rt of Pope's joke." (166). Gordon is stating that Pope inverts the role of a "G-d" in an epic poem
to satirize the values of his society. Essentially, because the morals of the people are slight, in
significant and vain so are the G-Ds and Machinery that protect them. The next epic convention that
Pope plays on is that of the "great epic battle". The first battle fought in The Rape of the Lock i
s not on the glory of a battlefield like a classical epic, but on the "velvet plain" of a card table
. Pope writes, "Now to the Baron fate inclines the field./ The imperial consort of the crown of Spa
des./ The Club's black tyrant first her victim died,/ Spite of his haughty mien and barbarous pride.
" (III, 66-69) Pope uses battle imagery to compare a trivial card game between Belinda and the Baro
n to a great battle scene in a classical epic. By parodying the battle scenes of a great epic poem,
Pope implies that the passion once associated with brave and serious purposes is now being used to
depict petty trials such as card games and gambling that usually serve as a front for flirtation. I
n canto five, trivial battles are once again explored, as the belles battle the beaus in a flirtatio
us attempt to reclaim Belinda's severed lock from the Baron. The battle between the sexes is a frivo
lous one for it is fought with smiles, glances and frowns in the place of weapons. Pope writes, Whi
le through the press enrage Thalestris flies, And scatters death around from both her eyes, A beau a
nd witling perished in the throng, One died in metaphor, and one in song. (V, 57-60)
When bold Sir
Plume had drawn Clarissa down, Chloe stepped in, and killed him with a frown; She smiled to see the
doughty hero slain, But, her smile, the beau revived again. (V, 67-70)
Here Pope exposes the trivia
lity of his society through a petty battle meant to be derived from the great battles fought in a cl
assical epic. Thalestris "scatters death around from both her eyes", implies that a woman's evil lo
oks has the power cause a man to "perish". There is also a metaphor for death indicating not death
on the literal level, which would be a serious topic, but the allegorical death of a male ego from n
ot being able to win a belle's fancy. Men are able to die and be "revived" by the frowns and smiles
of a lady. Pope is thus parodying his society in calling the beau "a hero slain", for it is obviou
s that there is nothing heroic in the frivolous flirtations between the men and women Britain's high
society. Throughout Pope's mock epic poem, The Rape of the Lock, there is a constant inversion of e
pic conventions such as great heroes, G-Ds and battles to trivial people, beings and actions that al
l serve to construct a satire. The Rape of the Lock is essentially a comical indictment of the vanit
ies and idleness of the eighteenth-century high society. Although Pope's poem is predominately a p
arody reflecting the triviality of his society, it also contains a moral message that Pope both subt
ly and blatantly incorporates into his text: people should merit praise for their kindness and virtu
e, not for their physical beauty and outward appearances. Essentially, Pope argues that the most im
portant qualities, regardless of one's social class, come from within.
Works Cited
Pope, Ale
xander. "The Rape of the Lock." Norton Anthology of Poetry. Ed. Ferguson, Margaret, Mary Jo Salter
, and Jon Stallworthy, 4th ed. New York: Norton, 1997
Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 7t
h ed. Orlando: Harcourt Brace UP, 1999
Gordon, Ian. A Preface to Pope. 2nd ed. New York: Longman Gr
oup Ltd., 1993
Harris, Stephen L. Classical Mythology: Images and Insights. Ed. Stephen L. Harris,
Gloria Platzner, 2nd ed. Sacramento: Mayfield Publishing Co.
epic heroic poem defined abrams work
that meets least following criteria long verse narrative serious subject told formal elevated style
centered heroic quasi divine figure whose actions define fate tribe nation human race also tells th
at because elevated style length sheer magnificence there only about half dozen such poems indubitab
le greatness abrams goes list some conventions found within epic poem narrator begins with argument
epic question invoking muse describes heightened illustrious characters often have divine lineage es
tablishes great battles tasks over which hero must triumph secure tribe nation even race trying defe
nd mock invokes similar conventions very different purpose abrams defines mock mock heroic poem that
type parody which imitates sustained both elaborate form ceremonious style genre applies narrate le
ngth commonplace trivial subject matter most powerful examples alexander pope rape lock humorous par
odying vanities idleness eighteenth century high society britain rape lock pope only uses traditiona
l conventions also inverts them create purpose satirizing society this method inversion underscores
ridiculousness society which value lost proportion trivial become paramount strategy pope undercut g
enre form itself instead mocking failing uphold standards with heroes battles values opens with ques
tion satirical tone signals intent ridicule traditional epics opens invocation muse then asks questi
on states topic will address rape lock convention inverted because trivial subject matter writes wha
t strange motive goddess could compel well bred lord assault gentle belle what stranger cause unexpl
ored could make gentle belle reject lord tasks bold little engage soft bosoms dwells such mighty rag
e here states primary concern well bread lord could assault gentle belle return reject emphasizes ap
pealing muse through first reader made aware this form going examine details fate town nation even h
umanity rather flirtatious trifles well bread through this inversion convention satirizing implying
they have great plight about write traditional instead most things quarrel between stands most impor
tant upon focused satire effect seen because necessarily saying country more important issues write
upon rather stating those issues addressed even considered high concerns frivolous fact priorities v
alues have been inverted within british high theft hair great affront pressing matter similar previo
us convention inversion also uses diction emphasize triviality particular focuses word assault write
s what strange motive goddess compel bread connotation word carries different from actual transpires
within word primarily refers violent causes some bodily harm comparing hair been without permission
making statement about incredibly inverted values views become hence satirizes backwardness describ
ing incident using such violent serious connotation having heightened illustrious characters another
inverts further illustrate satire writes hero figure national cosmic importance predominantly class
ical hero heroine will some divine lineage least bear superhuman qualities characters although they
main focus neither cosmic importance parody however tremendously skillful take similar actions heroi
ne would they suit triviality trying represent good example relates belinda spending time primping h
erself before affair hampton court palace event parallels preparing battle belinda toilet preparatio
ns invested solemnity going worship before arming battle gordon instead worshipping before battle be
linda ritualized worship image mirror unveil toilet stands display each silver vase mystic order lai
d first white nymph intent adores head uncover cosmetic heavenly image glass appears bends eyes rear
s inferior priestess altar side trembling begins sacred rights pride narcissism passage clearly sati
rical exemplify vanity perceived amongst time passage sacrilegious undertones clearly being portraye
d figure mist worshipping herself toilet unveil like religious altar coincides parody putting someth
ing woman dressing table same level importance religious alter gordon critical analysis religious wo
rship course ridiculing vanity religion itself just whole diminishing events attempt make poetry gor
don explains using ritual would traditionally undergo discusses inverting aspects imply absurdity ob
session vanity other matters rites gives then another kind scene ritualized arming here files pins e
xtend their shinning rows puffs powders patches bibles billet doux awful beauty puts arms here makes
combs pins cosmetics love letters into weapons awful beauty puts arms juxtaposition between bibles
billet doux suggests cannot make crucial distinction between matters spirituality aesthetics further
into makes when baron arises early build altar love pray success project sacrifices several tokens
former affections including garters gloves billet doux sacrifice echoes classical would generally sa
crifices offer respect pray victory intent comical baron offers slight sacrifices vain inconsequenti
al purpose depiction baron illustrates type people satirizes depiction reflects negatively system pu
blic external characteristics rank higher than moral intellectual ones uses another classical supern
atural machinery being present order intervene heroine behalf makes quite clever effectively satiriz
es trifling petty britain powerful being present case generally greek roman case milton judeo christ
ian supernatural machinery consists rather unimpressive army sprites just hector protected apollo an
eas venus achilles mother thetis protected marginal sprite named ariel difference greek roman were t
erms power stature ariel fellow band sprites certainly transparent forms fine mortal sight their flu
id bodies half dissolved light loose wind their airy garments flew thin glittering textures filmy de
piction sprites allows reader visualize insignificance these supernatural beings transparent airy fl
ighty possible metaphor general canto sylph ariel summons hear speak remind them roles guardians rol
e sylphs tend fair primarily keep watch over perfumes powders clothing curls ladies must assist blus
hes inspire airs becomes explicit responsible serious grave matters tend capricious flirtations indu
lgent vanities women court unfortunately guardian able prevent tragedy from striking despite fact sy
lphs attempt warn comments creates machinery from powerful deities shapers fate guardians heroes tin
y fragile sylphs vainly protect accidentally half careful process reduction diminution structure ess
ential part joke stating inverts role satirize essentially morals people slight insignificant vain p
rotect them next plays first fought glory battlefield like velvet plain card table inclines field im
perial consort crown spades club black tyrant victim died spite haughty mien barbarous pride imagery
compare card game scene parodying scenes implies passion once associated brave purposes used depict
petty trials card games gambling usually serve front flirtation canto five battles once again explo
red belles beaus flirtatious attempt reclaim severed sexes frivolous fought smiles glances frowns pl
ace weapons while through press enrage thalestris flies scatters death around both eyes beau witling
perished throng died metaphor song when bold plume drawn clarissa down chloe stepped killed frown s
miled doughty slain smile beau revived again exposes triviality petty meant derived fought thalestri
s scatters death around both eyes implies woman evil looks power cause perish there metaphor death i
ndicating literal level topic allegorical male able fancy able revived frowns smiles lady thus parod
ying calling beau slain obvious there nothing frivolous flirtations women britain throughout constan
t heroes people beings actions serve construct satire essentially comical indictment vanities idlene
ss eighteenth century although predominately reflecting contains moral message subtly blatantly inco
rporates into text should merit praise kindness virtue physical beauty outward appearances essential
ly argues important qualities regardless social class come works cited alexander norton anthology po
etry ferguson margaret mary salter stallworthy york norton glossary literary terms orlando harcourt
brace preface york longman group harris stephen mythology images insights stephen harris gloria plat
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