This is a PPT that is for preparation to read the mock heroic poem The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope. It is a summary and it helps to read the difficult, lengthy but highly amusing poem.

2. narrative poem
written by
Alexander
Pope

3. What’s a “Mock Heroic”?
Imitates the style of heroic
literature in order to satirize
an unheroic subject.

4. Simply speaking, the poem is
sarcastically laughing at the
epic world of the gods.

5. “Lock” in this poem
refers to a lock of hair

6. RAPE
1.unlawful sexual intercourse or any other
sexual penetration without the consent of the
victim.
2. an act of plunder, violent seizure, or abuse;
despoliation; violation: the rape of the forest.
3.Archaic. the act of seizing and carrying off by
force.

7. The Rape of the
Sabine Women
The Sabines were a
neighboring territory of
Rome conquered. After
the Romans conquered
it, the women were
abducted and taken as
wives.

9. The correct definition to use for the
Rape of the Lock is:
3. Archaic. the act of seizing and
carrying off by force.

10. The Rape of the Lock had its origins in an
actual, if trivial, incident in polite society:
In 1711, England, the 21-year old Baron, Lord
Petre, at a party had sneakily cut a lock of hair
from the head of the beautiful Arabella Fermor,
whom he had been courting.
Arabella took offense, and a feud began
between her family and his.

12. Pope wrote the humorous poem in order to help
the families reunite and settle the feud.
He felt that if they could see the ridiculousness
of the incident, they would put aside their anger
and laugh about it. It worked, the families
reunited.
Here is a summary or synopsis of the poem

13. The poems begins
with Arabella
reading a letter
from Pope.
He writes why he
has sent the poem
to her and that also
he has dedicated it
to her

14. Arabella is
the actual
woman that
had her
lock of hair
cut off, or
“raped”

15. FLASHBACK

16. Meet the young,
beautiful and very
wealthy Belinda in
her boudoir
She’s been having a
sexy dream but also
dreams of some
DREAD EVENT that
will happen to her

17. oooo la la! stop!!
… don’t …oooh...
don’t stop!

18. Ariel, the
sylph who
watches
over
Belinda
sent this
dream to
warn her

19. BEWARE OF
MAN!

20. Sylphs and Gnomes play an
important role in the actions later on

21. This is likely because the actual
place that the rape of the lock
occurred, was at a palace outside of
London named Hampton Court

23. On the ceiling of the palace where
the party took place, were murals of
angels and other fictional
characters.
Pope no doubt incorporated those
images into his poem.

25. What’s a Sylph you ask?
Part of the Elemental Kingdom:
Fire, Air, Water & Earth.
Sylphs are AIR fairies.

27. Gnome
A legendary
dwarfish
creature that
guards the
earth's treasures
underground.

29. Back to
Belinda.
She is woken
by her precious
little dog who
is licking her
face

30. Belinda arises
and elaborately
dresses,
primps and
pepares for the
day

33. She goes to a gathering outside of London
with other wealthy, young socialites

34. Among them is the Baron, who has already made
up his mind to steal a lock of Belinda’s hair.

35. Lord
Robert
Petre
Baron

36. The Baron
lusts for the
beautiful,
bodacious
Belinda

37. He wants a
lock of
Belinda’s
hair.

38. I simply
must
have it!

39. It was not uncommon at the time, for men to
take a lock of hair from a woman.
Historically giving a lock of ones hair to
someone has been considered a sign of
love and devotion, especially before a
separation

40. Sometimes they would resort to the
prank of stealing the lock of hair, as a
sort of amusement and way of
showing affection.
Usually with no negative
consequences….

41. On this day, the
Baron rose early
and built an altar
dedicated to
Belinda and his
success with the
absconsion of
her lock of hair

42. The guests board a boat to the
Palace Harbor Court

43. While the Baron is on
the boat scheming,
the fairies gather in
hordes to plan their
defense of the
beautiful Belinda

44. The boat arrives at Hampton Court Palace,
and the ladies and gentlemen disembark.
After a pleasant round of chatting and
gossip, Belinda sits down with two of the
men to a game of cards.

46. After the card
game they have
coffee- the curling
vapors of steam
remind the Baron
of Belinda’s curls
and his intention
to steal a lock.

47. The scissors are
produced by a
conspiring friend,
Clarissa. She gives
them to the Lord
Robert.

48. Taking up the
scissors, he
tries three
times to clip
the lock from
behind without
Belinda
seeing.

49. Seeing what is happening, the
fairies attempt to intervene.
One fairy is cut in half when it
comes between the lock and the
scissors.
The Baron is successful- he has
raped the lock of Belinda!

50. The deed is
done!
Belinda
screams!

53. BELINDA IS
FURIOUS
WITH LORD
ROBERT!

54. A gnome named Umbriel descends to
the Underworld on Belinda’s behalf and
obtains a bag of sighs and a vial of
tears from the Queen of Spleen.

55. Intending
to help
dumps
the
bucket of
sighs and
tears on
Belinda

56. This does not
help

57. A great argument
ensues. People
defend Belinda’s
honor. Others
explain that the
Baron was just
having a little fun.

58. Through all of
this, the lock of
hair disappears.

60. It is then
discovered
that the lock of
hair has risen
to the
heavens, only
to become a
shining star