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Alexander PopeThe Rape of the Lock
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1712A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Morality and Virtue
One of the central themes of “The Rape of the Lock” is morality and the development of virtue. Because the poem is a satire, a textual example of a moral or virtuous person is absent from the poem itself, but Pope uses the characters to reveal an absence of morality or virtuousness. Ironically, the most moral character of the text is Ariel, a sylph whose purpose is to protect Belinda from making immoral choices, but even he falls short of moral obligations.
To highlight the absence of virtue, Pope uses the trope of appearance versus reality. The characters of the poem present themselves to others a certain way, though in reality they are not being genuine. The first example of this is Belinda’s arrival at the Thames:
Yet graceful ease, and sweetness void of pride
Might hide her faults, if belles had faults to hide:
If to her share some female errors fall,
Look on her face, and you’ll forget ‘em all (Lines 15-18).
With these lines, Pope suggests that Belinda’s lack of virtue is masked by the beauty of her face. Therefore, her appearance is at odds with her true nature. Belinda is further characterized as being excessively vain, which Pope touts as a lack of moral fiber. By establishing Belinda as an immoral character, Pope invites readers to assess what constitutes true morality.
However, even the characters in “The Rape of the Lock” who present themselves as virtuous beings also lack moral conviction. This is the case with Clarissa and the aforementioned Ariel. Clarissa makes a long-winded moralizing speech about the developments of women’s characters—but our first introduction to her is when she supplies the baron with scissors to cut Belinda’s hair. Though Clarissa presents herself as a moral compass, the reality is that she conspires to knowingly cause harm to another character. This is an immoral act. Similar to Clarissa, Ariel also presents himself as a moral character. He attempts to warn Belinda of the consequences of vanity and vows to protect her from future wrongdoing. However, when he detects “an earthly lover lurking at her heart” (Line 144), he abandons her and allows the baron to cut her hair. Ariel, expecting Belinda to be virtuous, gives up when he observes her enjoying flirtation. Rather than see his mission through, as was his commitment, he deserts Belinda, believing her to be not worthy of saving. This too is morally questionable. Pope offers these glimpses into his characters in order to imply moral degradation.
The Battle of the Sexes
“The Rape of the Lock” is very much a poem about the roles of women and men in English society. In fact, Pope has framed the narrative of the poem to suggest that women and men will always remain at odds with each other. This is first hinted in Canto 1 with the following lines:
Say what strange motive […] could compel
A well-bred lord t’ assault a gentle belle?
Say what stranger cause, yet unexplor’d,
Could make a gentle belle reject a lord? (Lines 7-10).
Within the frame of courtship for marriage, Pope pits women and men against each other while still upholding gender stereotypes (i.e., “gentle belle” and “a well-bred lord”[Line 8]). These stereotypes reinforce that a woman’s value is in her beauty and a man’s value is in his social-class lineage. Pope seeks to challenge these two factors in the poem, and they are the main cause of the large brawl that transpires.
Belinda’s distress over the loss of her lock and the baron’s refusal to return it result in a clash between the women and men of court. Though Thalestris implores Sir Plume to intervene on Belinda’s behalf, Plume proves to be an ineffective moderator. Therefore, the disputes between men and women cannot reach a compromise. Belinda’s indignation suggests her feminine obsession with beauty while the baron’s insistence on possessing his “prize” imply his masculine claim to pride. The stereotypes attributed to both sexes are presented as character faults. A literal battle occurs between the sexes, as violence becomes the only “reasonable” solution. Therefore, Pope suggests that women and men ultimately cannot understand each other.
The Hypocrisy of Religion
Pope uses the presence of religion within “The Rape of the Lock” to undermine its sanctity. He even suggests that people who appear to be “religious” are often false. This is first implied in Canto 1, when the Bible appears as one of the assortments of items on Belinda’s dressing table. The implication is that if the Bible can be among trivial things, it too, can be considered trivial. Belinda’s false religiosity in carried over into Canto 2: “On her white breast a sparkling cross she wore / Which Jews might kiss, and infidels adore” (Lines 7-8). It is clear that Belinda only wears the cross as an accouterment or fashion accessory rather than as an indication of Christian piety. Furthermore, Pope’s inclusion of “Jews” and “infidels” in Line 8 also suggests that the necklace does not carry real religious significance, as practitioners of the Jewish faith and nonbelievers alike would seemingly “adore” (Line 8) the symbol. The necklace is not a display of true Christian faith but rather a false attempt to appear pious while also being sexually seductive.
The baron’s behavior in Canto 2 also undermines the sanctity of prayer. The baron constructs an altar, not to worship God, but as an homage to his sexual conquests. To satirize the religious practice of lighting a candle before prayer, Pope mimics that same reverence with the actions of the baron:
With tender billet-doux he lights the pyre,
And breathes three am’rous sighs to raise the fire.
Then prostrate falls, and begs with ardent eyes
Soon to obtain, and long possess the prize (Lines 41-44).
The baron prays not to God nor to ask for self-betterment but for his own personal gain. This is the opposite of piety and borders on the sacrilegious. Pope goes even further and writes that the gods heard and granted only half of his prayer. The presence of gods rather than a monotheistic God also challenges the central tenets of Christianity. With this poem, Pope mocks false displays of religious fervor and thereby exposes their hypocrisy.
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By Alexander Pope
