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MOCK EPIC
Studying Pope's Rape of the lock a s a mock
epic
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mock-epic, also calledmock-heroic, form of satire thatadapts the elevated heroic style ofthe classical epic poem to a trivialsubject
The tradition, in classical timeswith the burlesque of Homer,the Battle of the Frogs and the
Mice
The outstanding English mock-
epic is Alexander Pope’s brillianttour de forceThe Rape of the Lock (1712–14), which concerns asociety beau’s theft of a lock ofhair from a society belle; Popetreated the incident as if it were
comparable to events that sparkedthe Trojan War.
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RAPE OF THE LOCK AS A MOCK
EPIC
Pope has made the mockery of the great heroicstyle and subject. The theme of ‘The Rape of the
lock’ is cutting the lock of Belinda’s hair.
The Hero of ‘The Rape of The lock’
also indicates mock heroic effects. In the trueepic great deeds of great hero are seem for the
betterment of society.
In this mock epic the trivial incidents are done by
trivial man who cuts the lock of Belinda of whichhe considers a great and adventurous deed
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Use of machinery
and supernatural cha
racters. In pure
epic the
supernatural beingsare Gods, Goddesses
and Angels but in the
mock heroic ‘The Rape
of the lock’ thesupernatural characte
rs are sylphs and
gnomes and nymphs.
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It has divided into cantos. Like true epic it also
has beginning, middle, and end, according to
Aristotle’s concept of dramatic element in epic
poetry.
The style of epic is sublime and dignified. The
loftiness and sublimity is the soul of classical
epic.
Triviality is not allowed in true epic. But in ‘Rape
of the lock’ is common
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EPIC CONVENTIONS IN ‘ROL’
: In ancient Greece and Rome,poets had always requested “themuse” to fire them with creativegenius when they began longnarrative poems, or epics, aboutgodlike heroes and villains. InGreek mythology, there were
nine muses, all sisters, whowere believed to inspire poets,historians, flutists, dancers,singers, astronomers,philosophers, and otherthinkers and artists
In "The Rape of the Lock," Pope
does not invoke a goddess;instead, he invokes his friend,John Caryll (spelledCARYL inthe poem), who had asked Popeto write a literary work focusingon an event (the snipping of alock of hair)
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DIVISION OF THE POEM INTO
BOOKS OR CANTOS
traditional epic is long, requiring several days
several days of reading. Dante's Divine Comedy,
for example, contains 34 cantos.
Pope, of course, presents only five cantos
containing a total of fewer than 600 lines. Such
miniaturizing helps Pope demonstrate the
smallness or pettiness of the behavior exhibited
by the main characters in the poem.
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DESCRIPTIONS OF SOLDIERS
PREPARING FOR BATTLE
InThe Iliad, Homer
describes in
considerable detail the
armor and weaponry
of the great AchillesInThe Rape of the
Lock, Pope describes
Belinda preparing
herself with combsand pins–with Puffs,
Powders, Patches.
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While Homer
describes the exploits
of his heroes during
the Trojan War, Pope
describes the"exploits" of Belinda
and the Baron during
a card game called
Ombre, which involvesthree players and a
deck of 40 cards.
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ACCOUNT OF A GREAT SEA VOYAGE
InThe Odyssey, Odysseus (also known as
Ulysses) travels the seas between Troy and
Greece, encountering many perils. InThe Aeneid,
Aeneas travels the seas between Troy and Rome,
also encountering perils. InThe Rape of the Lock,Belinda travels up the Thames in a boat.
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PARTICIPATION OF DEITIES OR
SPIRITS IN THE ACTION
InThe Rape of the
Lock--as inThe Iliad,
The Odyssey, The
Aeneid, The Divine
Comedy, and Paradise Lost--supernatural
beings take part in
the action.
The supernaturalbeings are gnomes
and nymphs.
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