The Rape of the Lock: As a Satire:
Introduction:
Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock is not merely a mock-heroic poem but also a brilliant satire on the artificial and superficial lifestyle of eighteenth-century aristocratic society. Through the treatment of a trivial incident—the cutting of a lady’s lock of hair—Pope humorously exposes the vanity, pride, hypocrisy, love of fashion, and moral emptiness of the upper class of his age. By combining wit, irony, and mock-epic style, the poet presents a vivid picture of a society more concerned with appearances, gossip, flirtation, and social prestige than with real values and virtues. The poem therefore serves as a sharp social commentary in which Pope gently ridicules the follies and weaknesses of contemporary fashionable society while entertaining the readers with elegance and humour.
Pope is regarded as the greatest worse satirist on account of this mock-heroic epic The Rape of the Lock. It is a perfect satire in the sense that its e is to improve the manners of the society. Dryden’s ‘Mac Flecknoe’ is a personal satire on a contemporary writer Thomas Shadwell (1640-92). Therefore, it cannot be regarded as great as Pope’s The Rape of the Lock. Pope passes satire on vain romanticism of young girls and boys. But he does not spare the other sections of the society also. He points out their weaknesses and comments satirically to suggest the need of reform in them.
Satire on the Fair Sex:
It is the most favourite subject to all satirists of all times. Pope also points out the weaknesses of the fair sex in a mock-heroic style. The poem begins with a satire on their credulity. Ariel seems to whisper in her ear that she is the most beautiful girl in the whole mankind. She does not know that thousands of spirits called sylphs fly in the air to take her care. She should believe in this fact if she has ever heard from her maid or a priest tales in her childhood. He claims mostly learned people suffer from a sense of pride and doubt the existence of all those things that are not known to them. Therefore, many important facts are not told to them. These facts are told to young girls and children for they easily believe in them. He tells her such a fact that the lower sky is full of spirits of light nature. These spirits always fly round her to serve her.
Satire on Vanity of the Fair Sex:
Arial passes satire on immortality of women’s vanity. The youth, Angel tells Belinda that through a slow process, beautiful women are transformed into spirits. In fact, when a woman dies, her follies do not end. Even after her death she remains active in an invisible form. The things to which she used to give importance in her life time, become her sole delight now after death. As a spirit she passes her time in theatres and parks. She cannot play but watches others playing cards. When she was alive, she used to take delight in riding decorated carriages. Now too that liking dominates her mind. Likewise, she takes interest in looking at the game of Ombre being played with cards. He asks Belinda not to believe that death ends all. When a woman dies with her pride, her soul returns to its basic element: fire, water, earth, and air; according to its nature. Women of violent nature have interest in quarrels. After death their souls return to the element of fire. Spirits of fire are called Salamander. When women of polite nature die, their souls return to the element of water. The spirits of water are called Nymphs. They sip tea with beautiful ladies. The serious-minded women who pretend extreme modesty in sex-matters take interest in making mischief. After death their spirits return to the element of earth and move in search of mischief. The flirts who take interest in playing with and breaking young men’s hearts have a different fate. After death their souls return to the element of air and they take the name of Sylph. They sport and flutter in merriment in the open sky.
Satire on the Weak Morality of the Fair Sex:
Pope passes satire on beautiful women for being loose on character. It is easy to seduce them. He claims that sylphs prevent them from being seduced. The youth, Ariel who appears in Belinda’s dreams points out those circumstances in which any beautiful girl may be seduced to surrender her virginity. A young man impresses by giving a warm welcome, the other by inviting to dance. An imaginary lover named Florio impresses with his way of speaking and the other named Demon impresses with his gentleness. He impresses and diverts her attention by pressing her hand. These girls receive gifts of extraordinary nature brought from different countries by these young men. These girls wear so many ornaments that while walking they look like a toyshop moving from one place to the other. To win the favour of a girl, a young man puts on a better wig the other a better sword, and a lover brings a better carriage to offer lift to the girl. Ariel recognises the great importance of a girl’s virginity and therefore, he posts his best sylphs to guard Belinda’s petticoat. Fifty sylphs of remarkable quality are asked to take care of her petticoat. He knows that even seven folded petticoat fails in guarding the chastity of a lady when she becomes loose in character. Iron-rings or ribs of whales are used to keep the lower part of the petticoat stiff and the decoration is made with a silver-wire there to keep safe the lower border from being attacked. Yet all these precautions prove useless.
Satire on Make Up or the Use of Cosmetics:
Pope shows how a young lady like Belinda passes a long time in her make up with the use of cosmetics. Now Belinda enters the toilet for make-up. She uncovers her face before the mirror. On the mirror there are kept silver boxes in a strange order. She appears in a white dress to worship the powers of cosmetics. Her reflection in the mirror looks like a heavenly image. She bends her eyes to pay respect to cosmetic powers.
A heav’nly Image in the Glass appears,
To that she bends to that her Eyes she rears:
Belinda’s make up is narrated in a mock-heroic style as if it were an act of worship. Betty, her maid servant is like an inferior priestess who stands beside the dressing table that is no less important than the altar in a church. Betty opens a number of small boxes to pick out cosmetics to beautify Belinda. These cosmetics are brought from different countries of the world. With a high sense of pride Betty picks cosmetics so carefully that Belinda might look like an angel. She decorates her with shining ornaments. The poet describes Belinda’s dressing table. There is a small box that is filled with bright gems brought from India in another box there are kept Arabian perfumes. There are combs made from tortoise shells and the ivory making an attractive blend of the black with the white. There are lines of pins, puffs, powders, stickers, Bibles and love letters. Belinda looks very beautiful when the makeup is over. Still, she attempts at looking more beautiful by improving her smiles and increasing her grace. She exposes blushing on her face and a bright shine fills her eyes with a lively excitement. It seems as if she were a warrior and the charms of her face are her weapons. Clarissa expresses the poet’s views when she argues against the use of cosmetics and points out the worthlessness of physical beauty. According to Clarissa physical beauty is temporary and weak enough to decay; it is not important if the hair is curly or attractive. In old age the locks are bound to be gray. They should use the power of their beauty in making all happy. Then the loss of physical beauty will not affect their honour. Clarissa points out:
Beauties in vain their pretty Eyes may roll;
Charms strike the Sight, but Merit wins the Soul
Satire on Romantic Youths:
Pope passes satire on the youths of contemporary society who nothing worthwhile. They pass their whole time only in flattering beautiful ladies and making attempts at seducing them. In order to impress beautiful girls, they inviting to dance. An imaginary lover named Florio impresses with his way of speaking use various devices. A young man impresses by giving a warm welcome, the other by and the other named Demon impresses with his gentleness. He impresses and diverts her attention by pressing her hand. The poet points out that Belinda with other youths in a boat in the middle of the river Thames is looking brighter than the rays of the sun rising over the ocean. There are a number of well-dressed youths but all eyes are fixed only on Belinda. Among those young men who have been looking at Belinda attentively, there is a daring lord who praises her locks very much. He decides to possess them. He begins to think about the way how to get success in it. He wants to get possession of the beautiful bright locks hanging behind ivory white neck of fair Belinda. He wants to get it done by fair or foul means. He knows success is important. Nobody thinks if it is got by honest or dishonest means. First of all, he attempts at pleasing the gods. For it he gets up before the sun-rise and begins to worship all gods and goddesses.
Satire on Mock Worship:
The lord worships all gods yet he prays chiefly the god of love. For that purpose, he builds an altar of love. There he places twelve huge volumes of French Romances for they narrate love stories. Besides, he sets there all those things that his former beloveds left with him from time to time. Among these tokens of his former loves were three garters, one glove and a number of love letters. The lord heaves three long sighs to raise the fire. To get blessings of the god of love, the lord falls flat and prays with eager eyes to get the locks immediately and possess them permanently.
Satire on Worthless Activities:
In Hampton Court young lords and beautiful girls meet together to have some temporary enjoyment in a royal building. They talk on different matters that improve their knowledge. They discuss who had arranged the dance party or who neglects parties. Sometime the glory of the Queen is discussed and some time the quality of paintings on Indian beauty. The poet remarks in his satiric style how unimportant things have become important for these high-class people. Someone explains the looks and eyes of a beautiful lady or talks about her gesture of body. The remarks are taken so seriously that someone becomes reputed and someone feels insulted. They talk about snuff-boxes or fans. These talks delight them and they look with love at one another.
A third interprets Motions, Looks and Eyes,
At ev’ry Word a Reputation dies.
Just to pass time they play the game of Ombre for they have nothing worthwhile to do the whole day. How important this game has become for them is pointed out the poet when he narrates the game as if it were a real battle. The cards being played there act like soldiers. When they are defeated, they are confused and run to other countries. There have been battles between armies of Asia and those of Africa. Like them here, a battle can be seen between cards of red and those of black colour. There is a great difference in their dresses and colours. The soldiers are wounded and defeated in want of unity. They are in a large number and have the same sad fate. Belinda wins the game and shouts in joy. The poet points out a bitter irony of human life that man knows nothing about his future. He remains ignorant of his fate. When he faces a misfortune, he becomes unhappy. On the contrary if he gets a bit of success, he becomes very happy. Belinda too faces this irony of fate. At this time, she is very happy without knowing that just a few moments after she has to suffer miserably. Her pride of getting victory shall be removed. She will remember this day for a sorrowful experience.
Oh thoughtless Mortals! ever blind to Fate,
Too soon dejected, and too soon elate
Satire on Immodest Behaviour:
Pope passes satire on immodest behaviour of the Baron who cuts off a lock of Belinda’s hair. The Baron takes pride in his possession of Belinda’s lock. He claims that he should be crowned with the garlands of victory for he has done a glorious act. He does not realize his mistake even when it is pointed out to him by others. Sir Plume pleads what the Baron has done is not a decent act; has been uncivil; and now the Baron should forget the lock in the name of God. He should take it as an ugly joke of mean nature. Now he should give the lock back to Belinda. Saying these words Sir Plume closes the snuff-box. The Baron tells Sir Plume that his speech has disappointed him greatly for in place of talking sensibly, Sir Plume has spoken all non- sense. The Baron swears by that lock that the lock can never join the hair after once being cut off.
Satire on Strange Imagination:
While telling about the cave of Spleen Pope passes satire on strange imagination of abnormal people. People imagine strangely that their bodies are changed to different shapes. One man imagines that his body is changed into a tea pot. He extends one arm and bends the other arm. He claims the bent arm is the handle of the teapot and the extended arm is the spout to pour out tea. Under effect of melancholy people imagine strangely that their bodies are changed to different shapes. One person claims to be an earthen pot while the other claims to be a stool with three legs and walks strangely. Homer, the great epic poet refers to such things in ‘Iliad’. A person imagines to be a jar and takes a long sigh of grief. One imagines to be a roasted bird and talks like that. It is super that men imagine that they are pregnant. It all happens under illusion based on strong imagination. There are girls who claim to be bottles. They shout to be corked.
A Pipkin there, like Homer’s Tripad, Walks;
Here sighs a Jar, and there a Goose-pye talks;
Men prove with Child, as powerful Fancy works,
And Maids, turn’d Bottles, call aloud for Corks.
A Perfect Satire:
Thus The Rape of the Lock is a perfect satire. So often scholars remark that it is a satire on frivolities of the fair sex. In fact, it is a satire on the weaknesses of all. The poet does not spare anyone. For example, he comments that all the things lost on earth are preserved on the moon. The wit of heroes in huge pots but that of fashionable youths in small snuff or tweezer cases, all broken oaths and donations made at the time of dying, hearts of lovers bound with riband, courtier’s promises and sick men’s prayers, smiles of prostitutes and tears of successors, cages for gnats and chains for fleas, dry butterflies and a book guiding how decide between contradictory ideas, are found on the moon. In this way this poem is a general satire.