The 18th century English social picture in The Rape of the Lock / The Rape of the Lock as a social satire / Satire to the fashionable ladies in The Rape of the Lock

Alexander Pope was so prominent a writer that the age in which he wrote is named after him i. e. the age of Pope. He beautifully holds, in his writing, the demands of the time through the prevailing spirit of satire and moral preaching. In this connection Leslie Stephen in his Alexander Pope says,

‘’No writer reflects so clearly and completely the spirit so clearly and completely the spirit of his own day as Pope does’’.

Hence, The Rape of the Lock has been an excellent medium of his reflecting a complete picture of the 18^th century fashionable English society. Furthermore, it is also treated as a piece of social satire.

“The artificial tone of the age, the frivolous aspect of feminity is nowhere more exquisitely pictured than in this poem. It is the epic of trifling’s; a page torn from the petty, pleasure seeking life of fashionable beauty,’’

Let us now see how the points have been painted in the text.

At the very first of the poem, we know about the theme of the poem that a very trifling matter can cause ‘mighty contests’ in that society

“what mighty contests rise from trivial things,’’

Next, the speaker indicates a real incident of his society: Lord Peter offered his love to a woman, Arabella Fermor, but she rejected his proposal. Next this trivial matter of rejection begot a lot of conflicts between two families through the cutting of Arabella Fermor’s lock of hair.

Pope begins his description of the lifestyle of 18^th century fashionable society with the getting up of a woman at noon.

Now lap dogs give themselves the rowzing shake

And sleepless lovers, just at twelve, awake

Trice rung the bell, the slippers knock’d the ground,

…

“Belinda still her downy pillow prest,

Her guardian Sylph prolong’d the balmy rest.’’

That is the women of the society do not woke up, unless their hap dogs, with whom they sleep, give their ‘rowzing shake’. And it happens at 12 O’clock. And even after this rising, they again begin sleeping and dreaming of

‘a youth more glitt’ring than a Birth-night Beau’’

and

‘that ev’n in Slumber caus’[d] her Cheek to glow

and

“While Peer and Dukes, and all their sweeping Train’’

However in the dream, Belinda, a symbol of fashionable society, is informed of her coming danger and to be aware of male persons. At last,

“When shock [her dog], who thought she slept too long,

Leapt up, and wak’d his Mistress with his tongue.’’

But whenever she wakes up and sees a ‘’Billet-dour,’’ a love letter, she forgets all of the warnings of her dream, and makes herself prepared to go to a pleasure trip. In this way, their waking up very late, and ambition to get marled to lords and dukes, or to men holding some high tittles to gain material prosperity have been satirized here.

After waking up what do they do? We will get the answer if we look at Belinda. Now Belinda spends much time in the toilette where a lot of cosmetics are available to increase her beauty. Even there are cosmetics of India and Arabia. Actually the detailed desertion of Belinda’s toilette scene is desired to satirize the 18^th century fashionable ladies.

What does Belinda do then? ….. On making the pleasure trip to spend time with young gallants, she

“Favors to none, to all the smiles extends

Oft she rejects, but never she offends.’’

Thus we see that there is not slightest glimpse of seriousness or sincerity, goodness or grandeur of human life in any of her words and actions. She has no duty to her family. Thus we see that there is not the slightest glimpse of seriousness, sincerity, goodness or grandeur of human life in any of her words and actions. Even she has no duty to her family.

As for the males of the society, Pope reflects that the gentlemen of the smart set are as frivolous as the ladies. Lord Peter and his friends, representatives of the society, are idle, empty minded folk, and seem to have nothing else to do but making love or flirting with ladies. The ‘battle’ between the ladies and gentlemen shows the emptiness and futility of their lives. They visit clubs   and coffee-houses, and there they indulge in empty scandalous talk.

“One speaks the Glory of the British Queen,

And one describes a charming Indian Screen;

A third interpret Motions, Looks and Eyes;

At every Word a Reputation dies’’

After this sort of ‘instructive’ talk for some time, the lords and ladies play cards in Hampton Court. The poet gives a detailed description of the game, because card games have an important place in the daily activities of the fashionable ladies and gentlemen of the period.

Baron, having cut off the lock of hair of Belinda,

“Then flash’d the living lightning from her eyes,

And Screams of Horror rend th’ affrighted Skies

Not louder shirks to pitying the women’s

In fine we see that through this mock epic poem, Pope has presented the life in 18^th century England of the fashionable ladies and gentlemen. They did nothing serious, all they did was vanity and emptiness, and Pope has expressed this brilliantly and artistically. The artificial style of the poem is in conformity with the artificial life and ways of thought of the time. Lowell says,

“It was a mirror in a drawing room, but it gave back a faithful image of society, powered and roughed, to be sure, and intent on trifles, yet still human in its own way as the heroes of Homer in theirs.