Alexander Pope Research Paper

The contemporary world of Alexander Pope is unquestionably trivialised through his use of mock-epic and satire, it is not so often acknowledged for the skill in which Pope parodies the epic form which makes the mock-epic and the epic undoubtedly conjoined in the experience they provide the reader. The epic poem, like all other literary forms, has continually been used as a vehicle in which beliefs and values resonate from one generation to the next. On account of the fact that epics have traditionally concerned serious and lofty subject matters from love, war and heroism to the complexities of Christian belief. The world of epic poetry thus has become a world in which loyalty, honour, and bravery are praised and pursued. Within Pope’s own translations of the Iliad and Odyssey, he commends these traits also, however, one cannot take these virtues at face value because whilst they seem admirable, they are also the very root to the trials and tribulations that the protagonists face. Keeping this in mind, …show more content…
A woman’s worth therefore is directly linked to her virginity; Belinda is kept in high regard due to her maidenhead; this, when compared to the scale of worth applied to heroes in epic poetry, immediately raises the level of triviality within The Rape of the Lock. Epic heroes are considered important if they adhere to the warrior code which promulgates the idea of honourable death by fighting to defend your partner. The only battle in which women throughout The Rape of the Lock take part in is a war of meticulous words at which “reputation[s] die” with each utterance. The relationships and friendships are nothing more than appearances; Pope’s Baron does not want a woman's love, it is a prize he “aspired” towards; his past lovers are simply “trophies” defined solely by the remnants of “garters”, “gloves” and