The Rape of the Lock
Introduction:
Belinda is the most famous character in Pope's poetry. She is a bundle of contradictions. On one hand, she is the object of satire; on the other hand, she is the goddess of beauty and charm. In fact, Pope invokes her blessings as if she were the goddess of poetry. At another place, she is the representative of the decadent aristocratic society. Through her character, Pope describes the flippancy and depravity of the English society of the eighteenth century. Essentially here is the satire portrait of a frivolous and flirting girl. This is quite obvious in the scene at Hampton Court.
Belinda’s Routine:
Belinda is an ideal girl of Pope. She loves lap-dogs more than her lovers. Even by noon, she is in no mood to leave her bed and keeps on dreaming about her lovers and how to make fool of them. The poet satirizes her for her idleness. Her dog knows when to wake her up. After waking up, she must perform her toilet. Her dressing table has a number of expensive beautifying articles like powder, paint and jewellery boxes. Her combs, perfumes and cosmetics consume a lot of her time.
In fact, Belinda is in love with her own beauty. The toilet table is like a church to her, her cosmetics are like her offerings to the goddess of Beauty. Pope calls her the goddess of Beauty. Apart from her maid servant, Betty who helps her in her toilet, there are a number of sylphs to perform the various duties assigned to them. In fact her character is due to the assistance of the supernatural creatures. As Pope remarks:
How awful beauty puts on all its arms; The fair each moment rises in her charms.
On waking, her eyes fell on a love-letter full of romantic effusions of love. She made her toilette with the help of her maid-servant Betty, while the unseen Sylphs flew round helping her in the work. The toilette was performed, with various articles of luxury and price-jewels, cosmetics, pins, perfumes, powders, puffs, patches-as
Belinda is the most famous character in Pope's poetry. She is a bundle of contradictions. On one hand, she is the object of satire; on the other hand, she is the goddess of beauty and charm. In fact, Pope invokes her blessings as if she were the goddess of poetry. At another place, she is the representative of the decadent aristocratic society. Through her character, Pope describes the flippancy and depravity of the English society of the eighteenth century. Essentially here is the satire portrait of a frivolous and flirting girl. This is quite obvious in the scene at Hampton Court.
Belinda’s Routine:
Belinda is an ideal girl of Pope. She loves lap-dogs more than her lovers. Even by noon, she is in no mood to leave her bed and keeps on dreaming about her lovers and how to make fool of them. The poet satirizes her for her idleness. Her dog knows when to wake her up. After waking up, she must perform her toilet. Her dressing table has a number of expensive beautifying articles like powder, paint and jewellery boxes. Her combs, perfumes and cosmetics consume a lot of her time.
In fact, Belinda is in love with her own beauty. The toilet table is like a church to her, her cosmetics are like her offerings to the goddess of Beauty. Pope calls her the goddess of Beauty. Apart from her maid servant, Betty who helps her in her toilet, there are a number of sylphs to perform the various duties assigned to them. In fact her character is due to the assistance of the supernatural creatures. As Pope remarks:
How awful beauty puts on all its arms; The fair each moment rises in her charms.
On waking, her eyes fell on a love-letter full of romantic effusions of love. She made her toilette with the help of her maid-servant Betty, while the unseen Sylphs flew round helping her in the work. The toilette was performed, with various articles of luxury and price-jewels, cosmetics, pins, perfumes, powders, puffs, patches-as