Character analysis of Belinda in Alexander Pope's moak heroic poem 'Rape of the lock'

 Belinda the queen of contradictions 

Alexander Pope is one of the representative satirist and literary figure of 18th century Augustan age in England .The Rape of the Lock, perhaps the poet's most famous poem, appeared first in 1712 with two cantos, followed by a revised and enlarged version in 1714 with five cantos. 

Literature of the Restoration and Augustan ages strongly reflects the social functions of satirical exposing the limitations of contemporary society .

When Lord Petre forcibly snipped off a lock from Miss Arabella Fermor's hair (the "Belinda" of the poem), the incident gave rise to a high-society quarrel between the families. At that time John Caryll, a friend of Pope and of the two families that had become estranged over the incident the poem relates. It was Caryll who suggested that Pope encourage a reconciliation by writing a humorous poem. With the idea of allaying this, Pope treated the subject in a playful and witty mock-heroic epic. 

In the poem Rape of the lock,  Pope delights in the vein pretence and superficial values of 18th century urban fashionable society. He helps us to understand that the priorities of 18th century male and females of upper class  sophisticated England were weirdly misplaced and displaced  . Pope directs his satire against self-love and self importance of young men and women of 18th century England.

Belinda is based on the real-life figure of Arabella Fermor, who also had a lock of her hair cut off by a suitor. Pope has presented Belinda as a complex character. He has presented her in different roles and under different shades, some are satirical other ironical but all entertaining. 

Belinda is the heroine of the story. It is her character around whom the story of the whole poem is woven. We see her sleeping till noon and her awakening by her lap dog “Shock” , and Pope ironically describes her toilet or dressing room and the progress of the sacred rites of pride which is also called as makeup.

With Belinda’s dream, Pope introduces the “machinery” of the poem—the supernatural powers that influence the action from behind the scenes. The gnomes, sylphs, salamanders, and nymphs, in turn, are associated with the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water. The airy sylphs are those who in their lifetimes were “light Coquettes”; they have a particular concern for Belinda because she is of this type, and this will be the aspect of feminine nature of the restoration age with which the poem is most concerned.

 His description of Belinda’s dressing table exposes the narcissism and an absolute Importance that the age gave to physical appeal youthful charm and love. And Betty is the incharge of making Belinda all more beautiful and shine.

 The cosmetics of the dressing table of Belinda consists of puffs, powders, patches, Bible and billet-doux .This shows Belinda’s inability to understand the moral and spiritual value of the Bible. Which she equals Bible to other items of cosmetics. The moral ambiguity of her society is further exposed when Pope shows that the religion and the faith in God has become like a fashion.

 Pope’s description of Belinda’s world is also satiric perception of the falsity and fragility of his world.  Pope’s imaginative touch in the description of tea ritual, Journey along the River Thames and the game of "ombre” reveals the charming of Belinda.

 He indicates the suppressed vulgarity of his society in a very candid and honest manner at the same time displaying sympathy and consideration for the characters and specifically the leading female protagonist in question, the main target of his satire is the protagonist Belinda who is the representative of the decadent aristocratic society.

He describes Belinda as a perfect coquette showing excessive concern towards the opposite sex in order to show off and display her chastity, purity and beauty. Pope wittingly reveals that though Belinda displays a disinterest in men she secretly yearns for their company and attention and allows earthly lovers to look at her beauty.

 Pope’s satire also reveals his complex attitude towards Belinda. She is one hand a dreamer and on other hand she is a bundle of chaos and contradictions outwardly like the other women of her society, she maintains a clear reputation but secretly she likes to enjoy the youthful indulgences and excesses of her age.

Belinda’s portrayal is one of the awesome literary creations ever produced in the History of English literature. Pope seeks to throw light upon the fickle minded fashionable ladies of the 18th century England depicting Belinda as the representative character. She is the embodiment of the coquetry, the art, the artifice and the false pride.

She is both a goddess of beauty and an object of satire in the poem  'Rape of the lock'.