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How Dr Faustus , ‘Inner Conflict’ Leads Him To Tragedy

By
AQ Team (Hate War Love Peace)
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Dr-Faustus-'Inner-Conflict'

How “Dr Faustus” play shows Marlowe as introducing a conflict in the mind of the hero for the first time. Though Elizabethan dramatists had been using this technique of conflict between two, forces of evil and goodness yet Marlowe introduced this thing in a very different way which made this drama a unique work of English literature of that time.

Conflict in drama is of two kinds – outer and inner. Outer conflict always deals with or occurs between the hero and his outer circumstances which may be sometimes unfavorable or hostile to him.

Inner conflict which occurs in the mind of the hero but in “Dr. Faustus” we all the time find the hero succumbed in a struggle which is rising in the heart and soul of the hero. This is the very thing which presents a psychological or spiritual conflict in Faustus rather than an external action.

Now the question arises when this struggle happens. Generally speaking, this inner conflict occurs when a man faces two alternatives in which he has to choose one but finds himself pulled in opposite directions. Faustus was rationally inspired by the spirit of Renaissance because he had been alured or fascinated by the dreams of gaining limitless knowledge & human power.

If someone wants to achieve these powers in a very short time then there is only one way of unholy necromancy and on the other side, he is to abjure Divinity or to denounce the doctrines of Christianity.

It is a fact that Faustus rejects all these intellectually but he is definitely attached to them emotionally. Hence, there starts a conflict in his soul. Actually a conflict is the tussle between will and conscience which is symbolized by the bad Angel and good Angel and the heart of Faustus is a platform where these two forces of good and evil are struggling to overwhelm. In the whole course of the drama, this conflict passes in different stages.

inner-conflict

In the early scenes of the play, we see Faustus’ pride and mad pursuit of gaining limitless knowledge leading him in a situation where he has to bargain with the Devil. Here, because he has been disappointed with all branches of knowledge like Physic, Philosophy, Law and Divinity as they are absolutely insufficient for him to fulfill his aim; then he says:

 “Divinity, adieu

These metaphysics of magicians. 

And necromantic books are heavenly.”

Here, we find Faustus rejecting all these knowledgeable books and finding limitless delight & profit in the realm of magic, here Faustus utters:.

“O’ what a world of profit and delight. 

Of power, of honour, of omnipotence. 

Is promised to the studious Ortizan. 

All things that move between the quiet poles.”

Shall be at my command:

At another occasion in the play, he is so much involved in the black art that he considers it as a mighty god. After convincing himself, he further says:

“A sound magician is a mighty god”

After gaining the command over the arts of necromancy, he starts satisfying the demands of his nature as God has made him. He also starts thinking himself as a deity – that is forbidden but, which can be achieved only by a conscious rejection of God. When he has made his final decision in the favour of necromancy, his conscience starts pricking him and at the same time Good Angel & Evil Angel appear on the stage for the first time. Actually these two angels represent the two aspects of the human mind.

These two angels, in fact, externalize the inner conflict between vice and virtue, between will and conscience which is occurring in the mind of Doctor Faustus. When this conflict occurs, the entire action of the drama starts fluctuating between these two opposite forces. The Good Angel urges Faustus:

“Sweet Faustus, leave that exyrable art.”

As we know that Good Angel is the symbol of goodness in him and it utters:,

“Sweet Fuustus, think of heaven and heavenly things.”

There is an other side of the situation which is administered by Evil Angel and in the spirit of wavering conscience or Renaissance element of temporary voluptuousness and further beautiful Juxtaposition of the antithetical vices, Devil urges him:

“No Faustus, think of honour and of wealth”.

When Feaustus meets and talks to his true friends who also encourage and inspire to go for necromancy and success promises on one condition: – 

“If learned Faustus will be resoluted”

After meeting & exchanging the words with his friends, Faustus makes a final decision and gives preference to power, pelf of the world instead of Divinity. For this purpose, he sells his soul to Devil to gain voluptuousness for twenty four years. the skies and he utters:

“Had I as many souls as there be stars. 

I’d give them all for Mephistophilis. 

By him I,ll be great emperor of the world.” 

But in the beginning of the play in Act II, Scene 1, there are some clues of his repentance which are as the prick of conscience, a tussle between will and conscience, good and evil, heaven and hell.

Satan

All these make him conscious that he is going towards external damnation from where, he cannot be

Now, Faustus, must thou need be damned. 

And canst thou not be saved. 

What boots it, then, to think of God or heaven? 

Away with such vain fancies, and despair. 

Despair in God, and trust in Belzebub. 

Nay, go not backward, no Faustus be resolute: 

O, something soundeth in mine ears. 

“Abjure this magic, turn to God againt?”

Faustus is absolutely involved in the allurement and excitement of wealth and honour, and decides to write the band with his own blood for surrendering his soul to Lucifer. In the proceeding action of the drama, we find Faustus’ agonizing struggle to escape from his impending eternal damnation and his. deep sense of helplessness which ultimately vents out when he confesses to Mephistophilis:

“When I behold heaven’s then I repent. 

And curse thee wicked Mephistophilis.

Because thou hast deprived me of those joys.” 

Here, there is also reappearance of good and evil angels to externalize his inner conflict and Faustus starts uttering in the following words:

“My heart is so hardened, I cannot repént. 

Scarce can I name salvation, faith or heaven.”

But fearful echoes thunder in my ears. 

Faustus, thou art damned.

As the act V starts and where old man appears as a symbol of good and divine in him, bursts out before him and an acute mental tension is revealed:

“Where art thou Faustus, wretch what hast thou done. 

Damnd art thou, Faustus, damn’d; despair and die!”

Having the full command over black arts, Faustus eventually binds or seals his own soul by surrendering himself into the arms of sweet ‘Helen to make Dr. Faustus immortal and here he utters:

“Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss. 

Her lips suck forth my soul: see where it flies! 

Come, Helen, come, give me my soul again: 

Here will I dwell, for heaven is in those lips. 

And all is dross that is not Helena.” 

In the last hour where Faustus is damned to eternal damnation of hell and where there is no hope of salvation for him. His soul starts shrieking in a very agonizing and torturous manner and in a pathetic mood, he appeals to God in his soliloquy.

“Stand still, you every moving spheres of heaven. 

That time may cease, and mid night never come. 

Fair nature’s eye, rise again. 

Mountains and hills, come, come and fall on me. 

Ugly hell, gape not; come not, Lucifer! 

I’ll burn my books! Ah, Mephistophilis!

To conclude this topic, it can be said that the inner conflict of Faustus actually is a tussle between two forces of evil and goodness which is externalized in the forms of two Good and Evil Angels. This is a conflict of Faustus which presents a clear picture of Renaissance of that age because the people of Marlowe’s age had been influenced by the spirit of Renaissance which was more supported by the teachings & preaching of Machiavellian approach or spirit. Machiavelle who had been a Italian writer, was of the view that every desire or ambition or wish which occurred in any body’s soul or nature, should be executed at any cost; means to say that by hook and crook. So wherever this situation is to happen, the forces of evil and good will be there and this is an inner conflict of every person who is succumbed by these two outer & inner forces.

The Two-nation Theory and Negotiations over partition

By
AQ Team (Hate War Love Peace)
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The-Two-nation-Theory-and-Negotiations-over-partition

The two-nation theory Negotiations over partition is an important topic about the establishment of Pakistan. The two-nation theory was an establishing rule of the Pakistan Movement (for example the belief system of Pakistan as a Muslim country state in South Asia), and the segment of India in 1947. … Significantly after the arrangement of Pakistan, banters on whether Muslims and Hindus are unmistakable nationalities or not proceeded in India.

Another conceptual framework for the creation of a separate Muslim state came from Cambridge. On January 28, 1933, Chaudhary Rahmat Ali, a student at Cambridge, published a pamphlet entitled Now or Never: Are We to Live or Perish for Ever? drafted by him and supported by three others. It stated that India was neither a country nor a nation. The federal form of Government would bring an end to Islam in India and that the Muslims should demand the creation of a separate sovereign Muslim state to be called PAKISTAN, which meant the five northern units of India viz. Punjab, North West Frontier Province (Afghan Province), Kashmir, Sind and Baluchistan. It read:

India, constituted as it is at the present moment, is not the name of one single country; nor the home of one single nation. It is, in fact, the designation of a State created by the British for the first time in history. It includes peoples who have never previously formed part of the Indian Nation at any period of its history, but who have, from the dawn of history till the advent of the British, possessed and retained distinct nationalities of their own. In the five Northern Provinces of India out of a total population of forty million, we the Muslims constitute thirty million. Our religion and culture, our history and tradition, our social code and economic system, our laws of inheritance, succession and marriage are fundamentally different from those of most people living in the rest of India.

The ideals which move our people to make the highest sacrifices are essentially different from those which inspire the Hindus to do the same. These differences are not confined to broad basic principles far from it, they extend to the minutest details of our lives. We do not inter-dine, we do not inter-marry. Our national

customs and calendars, even our diet and dress are different.

The events during the period 1937-39 proved beyond doubt that the political domination of the Hindus would be detrimental to the cause of the Muslims. Under the Act of 1935. elections to the Provincial Assemblies were held in the winter of 1936-37. During the election campaign Jawahar Lal Nehru claimed that there were only two parties in the country – the Congress and the British, and demanded that others should “line up”. Quaid-i-Azam challenged Nehru’s assertion and said:

“I refuse to accept this proposition. I refuse to line up. There is a third party in the country and that is Muslim India.”

The Congress was able to form Government in eight out of eleven provinces. The Congress ministries remained in power from July 1937 to November 1939. During their tenure in office the Congress Government followed policies which created apprehensions among the Muslims regarding their future. Congress attitude was arrogant and humiliating for the Muslims. Their policies aimed at the establishment of Ram Raj in the garb of “Indian nationalism”. They devised and manipulated economic measures as to hit the interests of the Muslims.

Muslims were discriminated in the courts. Their religious sentiments were injured by playing music before the mosques, stopping slaughtering of cow by force and sometime even stopping Azan. But worst was the education policy. Its objective was to impose Hindu ideas and by subtle methods to prepare a generation which would cease to be Muslim in thought, character and action. A scheme of primary education, commonly known as Wardha scheme, was introduced. It was geared to merge the Muslims in Hindu Nationalism. The text books glorified Hinduism at the expense of Islam. They impressed on the mind of the Muslim child the inferiority of the Muslim culture and superiority of Hindu traditions and beliefs. In schoolsalmost a religious reverence was shown to Gandhi.

Respect for the Congress flag and chanting of Vanda Mat ram, which was adopted by the Congress as “national song”, was made obligatory for the students. The proceedings of the legislative assemblies of the Congress-governed provinces were opened with the recitation of the “national song”, which depicted Muslims as unclean and aggressive foreigners. Its contents were anti-Islamic and idolatrous. The students were asked to dress and salute in the Hindu traditions. Attempts were made to introduce Hindi at the cost of Urdu, a language which had originated and developed as a distinct feature of Muslim culture in South Asia. It may be reminded that in 1867 it was Hindi – Urdu controversy which brought to surface for the first time, during the British period, the latent cultural differences between the two communities. It was the attitude of the Hindus towards Urdu which convinced Sir Syed Ahmad Khan that “the two communities would never be able to join in anything whole heartedly, ” and sowed the seed of Muslim Nationalism.

Under the Congress rule the Muslims were subjected to high handedness.48 Quaid-i-Azam charged that the Congress wanted to establish a totalitarian, Fascist Hindu Raj in India. 49 When the Congress ministries resigned the Muslim League celebrated December 22. 1939 as “Deliverance Day”.

During this period Quaid-i-Azam emerged as the most important leader of the Muslims and the Muslim League as their main spokesman. Disillusioned by the Congress rule the Muslims gave serious thought to the idea of a separate homeland for themselves. The Muslim League in its Twenty-fifth Session held at Lucknow (October 15-17, 1937) changed its creed to “full independence”. It passed a resolution which read:

The object of the All India Muslim League shall be the establishment in India of full independence in the form of a federation of free democratic States in which the rights of the Musalmans and other minorities are adequately and effectively safeguarded in the Constitution. In October 1938, Sind Provincial Muslim League in its conference held at Karachi, under the president ships of Quaid-e-Azam, tabled a resolution in the Subjects Committee which interalia suggested that “India may be divided into two federations, namely the federation of Muslim: States and the federation of non-Muslim States,” The Conference recommended to the All India Muslim League.

To devise a scheme of Constitution under which Muslim majority provinces. Muslim Indian States and areas inhabited by a majority of Muslims may attain full independence in the form of a federation of their own with permission to admit any other Muslim State beyond the Indian frontiers to join the Federation and with such safeguards for non-Muslim minorities as may be conceded to the Muslim minorities in the non-Muslim Federation of India.

To solve the Indian problem a number of proposals for the partition of the sub-continent were made during 1930s.53 The Working Committee of All India Muslim League in its meeting held at Meerut (March 26, 1939) decided to examine the various schemes. On February 4, 1940, the question of a separate homeland for the Muslims was considered in the meetings of the Working Committee and Council of All India Muslim League held in Delhi. It was decided to propose it officially at the open session of Muslim League to be held in March at Lahore.

On March 22, 1940 addressing the Twenty-seventh Session of the All India Muslim League, held at Lahore, Quaid-Azam reiterated that “Musalmans are a nation according to any definition of a nation,” and demanded that “they must have their homeland, their territory and their State”. He said: “We wish our people to develop to the fullest our spiritual, cultural, economic, social and political life in a way that we think best, and in consonance with our own ideals and according to the genius of our people.”

How Alexander Pope is a Satirist!

By
AQ Team (Hate War Love Peace)
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Alexander-Pope-As-a-Satirist

Alexander Pope as a Satirist is acknowledged that the true satirist points out the follies, absurdities, foibles, shortcomings, weaknesses, vices etc. of the people in a very humorous way in order to reform them. There is no malice, anger and enmity in the behaviour of a satirist in dealing with the ways of life of the people. There is no doubt in saying that “The Rape of the Lock” is a cock tale of threats and inducements, for the object, it has in its view a reformation of men and women and manners.

A true satire ends in its amendments of vices by correcting them. Most of the people agree that satire is a criticism of life because it exposes the vices of the ways of life of people. As for as the matter of Pope is concerned in The Rape of the Lock, we see that he has succeeded in presenting almost all the social aspects of his times in a satirical vein. From the very beginning of his career of writing, Pope was much interested in the social aspects of daily routine life of his age which had been badly affected by the fashionable trends of life.

Alexander Pope as a Satirist
A glance of 18th century people

A deep and careful study of this poem clearly and openly shows that there had been no other writer in the whole English Literature who had so vividly and beautifully reflected the spirit of his day. There is no doubt in saying that it was Pope’s success in “The Rape of the Lock” that he drew the true picture of the society of his times so admirably well and in such a fine satirical vein. As Shakespeare had been regarded and acknowledged a poet of image, he dealt with the passions, emotions and innate motives of man successfully and beautifully. Same is the truth with the Pope who had been rightly regarded and appreciated for his quality of the ‘Poet of Society’.

The Pope dealt with the human trends of life in the society and gave a graphic picture of the social aspects of life. Though apparently the aristocratic classes had progressed a lot in different fields of life yet they were completely deprived of the passions of sincerity, faithfulness and loyalty. Their manners of social life were highly artificial. Though outwardly men addressed ladies in a gallant tone, yet they had a very poor estimation of them. We also come to know that the ladies also led a most artificial life and always behaved in such a manner as  if their man job was to attract and ensure men.

18th century women fashion
18th century women fashion

In Pope’s time, there was no lackage of finding proper employments and diversion for the young people you they used to live idle and free and preferred in indulging in the useless and aimless activities such as keeping and taming the lapdogs, teasing the girls, having life cards games with opposite sex, etc. The toilet was their great scene of business and the right adjustment of their hair was the principal employment of their lives. All this is very beautifully described by the poet:

“And now, unveiled, ilie toilet stands display’d. 

Eath silver vase in mystic order laid 

First, roled in white, the numph intent adores, 

With head uncovered the cosmetic powers, 

A heavenly image in the glass appears.

To that she lends, to that her eyes she rears”.  

The main troublesome but very important work of the morning was to sort out the suit of Tibands for the ladies of the aristocratic families. If they had to visit a toy shop then they became so exhausted and fatigued for the rest of the whole day. Their more serious occupations are sewing and embroidery and their greatest drudgery (dullness) was in the preparation and presentations of jelly and sweetmeats.

Beautiful Belinda
Beautiful Belinda

The main character of the poem is Belinda whom the Pope considers as the chief priestess, Belinda used to worship at the shrine of beauty so keenly as she quite naturally worship herself. The poet compares Belinda to the sun and in this comparison, the suggestion is that the sun recognizes Belinda a rival and fears her. The master ship of Pope is seen in following lines, when he utters:

“So through white curtains shot a timorous ray,

And oped those eyes that must eclipse the day”. 

In other simple words, we can say that her eyes are too fatalistic for the sun to eclipse the bright day. Belinda is like the sun, because her bright eyes also dominate over her special world. 

“Brigh as the sun, her eyes the gazers strike, 

And like the sun, they shine on all alike.”

Pope means to say that her looks are for all as the sun shoots its rays for all. At some stages in the poem, we see that Pope becomes double edged because on the one hand, Pope celebrates the artificial world of 18th century social convention and on the other hand, he satirizes it. The lock of hair is to this world is like what the actual lady is to the real world. After the rape of her lock, Belinda became more popular and was started being cherished among the folk of the fashionable world.

Ball night is fashion
Dance party is Fashion

Pope displays the full trends,ambitions and tastes of the fashionable world in their most gorgeous manners. The emptiness is always visible beneath the outward splendour. It is true that Pope goes on to imply that details of her toilet, her troops of admirers are set forth with universal grace and fascination and all bear the impression of vanity and vexation. Their hearts are of toy-shops and they give more importance to the worldly things than the feelings and emotions of human beings. The little with them is great and the great little.

In “The Rape of the Lock”, Pope has very truly caught and fixed the true atmosphere and spirit of his age that we can say that no other English writer had given or presented the true expression of the social and moral characteristics of literary tastes of his own age.

There are some prominent critics who argue that Pope’s  masterpiece lacks the depth, scope and significance of the great work of Dante, Shakespeare and Goethe because the subject matter of the poem is of low level.

To sum up this above mentioned discussion, we can say that the sum and substance of the above discussion is that “The Rape of the Lock” is not only a mock-heroic poem but it is also a great social satire of the times. The poet has very beautifully and vividly satirized the fops and the fashionable ladies of his times and it is rightly considered as the most powerful satire against feminine frivolity. The amorous intrigues idea prattling, fashions and dresses of women have been mercilessly satirized by the Pope in the poem. Pope does not only laugh at feminine frivolities but satirize them in order to cure them. Pope, therefore, is certainly a great satirist and a great moralist who has remained true to his oft-quoted motto; “The proper study of mankind is man”. 

How to define Metamorphosis of Epic

By
AQ Team (Hate War Love Peace)
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Metamorphosis-of-Epic

How to define Metamorphosis of Epic prominently use in literary work of Alexander Pope , this question is arose but as we have a deep analysis of my form of an epic, we come to know that there are some basic requirements and demands of an epic which are as its lofty theme, style, heroic qualities of its characters of hero or heroine, elevated or sublime subject matter, and adventurous qualities of a prominent character described in a warlike manner.

An Epic

As we know that an epic is a long’ narrative poem but when we apply the set pattern dimensions to an epic on the ‘Mock Epic” then we come to know that in the “Mock Epic” the form and conventions of the epic are used to clothe a trial theme. The resulting incongruity is applied to the purposes of “humour or ridicule”. The true genius of mock-heroic lies:

“in travesting the epic, in bringing all the leading features of the epic machinery, lofty incidents, character and style to exultation of a trivial subject. The subject must have no doubt moral learnings but the satire ought not be too apparent”.

It is very worthy to note that it was a trend in most of the writers and poets of Eighteenth Century that they used the form of epic in their works and literary compositions lavishly, Pope was not exempted to this general rule of parody or burlesque which was so prominently found in the age.

The Rape of the Lock

A deep and careful study of Pope’s long narrative poem the “Rape of the Lock” shows that he presented a parody of the heroic style and made it a perfect comical poem. There is no doubt in saying that in making his poem as a great mock-epic, Pope parodies the epic tradition. It contains among other parodies of Homer, Virgil, Aristotle and Milton. If we compare “The Rape of the Lock” to Milton’s Paradise Lost, we see that there are many traits or qualities which are common in both of them. The major difference on the basis of which we can differentiate in both is that it is written not from a scorn but from a love. The whole is a flirtation with the sublime.

“What dire offence from amorous causes springs, 

What mighty contests rise from trivial things”.

As we know that the theme of this poem originated from an incident that actually occurred in Pope’s circle of acquaintances, when Lord Petre (The Baren) cut a lock of hair from the pretty head of Arabella Fermor (Belinda). The Pope was insisted by a mutual friend of Lord Petre to write a very jesting poem on the issue of cutting a lock from the head of a pretty girl by a baron.

It is one of the Pope’s traits of art of writing that he makes most things smaller in size and more femininely exquisite in quality which better fulfill the standards of mockery. When the Pope talks about a woman, it does not mean any ordinary woman but Belinda herself. Pope describes her in a very exquisite manner in the following lines:

“Belinda now, whom thirst of fame invites, 

Burns to ecounter two adventurous knights, 

At Omber singly to decide their doom, 

And swells her breust with conquest yet to come ”.

As we know that in great epics, the adventures and heroic deeds of a hero are described in the warlike manner and there are often’ fought wars and battles. But in The Rape of the Lock, there is a game of cards instead of a battle, but instead of coffee pouring into a cup, china’s earth receives the smoking tyde and Pope very beautifully describes this scene in the following words:

“From silver spoils the grateful liquers glide, 

While china’s curth receives the smoking tyde”:

When Clarissa hands the fatal scissors over to Lord. Peter in the mock epic poem, the scene is described by the poet in a very ridiculous manner but in a mock-heroic manner:

“As ladies in Romance assist their knight 

Present the speur und arm him for the fight”

These are such kinds of images which one can expect to find in a mock-heroic poem.

The Fashionable women of 18th century
The Fashionable women of 18th century

Let us, we have another example of such kind of images which is found in the comparison of Belinda to the sun at the beginning of the middle of the poem.

“Not with more glories, in the Etherial plain,

The sun first rises over the purpled main, 

That issuing forth, the Rival of his Beames, 

Launch’d on the Bosom of the silver thames”.

In simple words we can say that Sun’s rival Belinda is there on the bank of the river Thames. These kinds of elements of incongruity and mismatchfulness are found very commonly in the mock-epic poem. Pope, here compares a pretty girl to the sun and describes her life in such a style which is appropriate to the adventures of a hero. Actually, after analysing the poem, it is observed that what is true of the comparison of Belinda to the sun is true of the whole conception of “The Rape of the Lock”.

The title of the poem itself indicates mock-heroic effect as “Rape” is a serious moral offence which means the violation of a woman’s Chastity by force. In these words, it also refers to the adduction of a lady by some ruffians in quite inhuman manner. But it is very interesting to note here that Pope has used this terin in an amusing way. The possession of the hair of Belinda by Baron is described by him in a mock serious vein. Though the title evokes nothing but the poem begins with an address to the Muse in which the sexúal, implications are underscored in a very vivid manner; as Pope utters:

“Say whut strange motive goddes! could compell. 

A well-bred Lorit to assault a gentle belle? 

Oh say what strange cause, yet unexplored, 

Could make a gentle belle reject a Lord”.

If we analyse these two terms of “assault” and “reject” in their overall and general meaning then we come to know that the mock-heroic sensations well indicate the mock heroic characters of Pope’s work.Keeping all the above mentioned general elements or features of an epic poem in mind, we are now able to say that Pope uses the whole structure of an epic, in “The Rape of the Lock” but it is very worthy to note that it cannot be called a serious epic because the incident is very trivial. So, we have the mock heroic or heroic-comical poem because there are ironical parallels to the main incidents of the epic.

As far as the beginning of the poem is concerned which starts with an invocation like an epics. Pope describes this very point in the following words so beautifully,

“Say what strange motive, Goddes could compell,  

A sell-bred Lord to ussault a gentle belle”?

“As far as an element of divinity of a great epic is concerned, it is also found in the “Rape of the Lock”. Pope also introduces divine beings in the “Rape of the Lock’: Belinda who is in the divine care of the Sylphs, is described by the poet in a very interesting manner; 

“Fairest of mortals, thou distinguished care, of

thousand bright inhabitants of air”.

If we talk about the parodies of epic conventions in the poem then we come to know that these are also numerous; to be itemized but there are some certain conventions which may be signed out as the dream message from the gods and arming of the champion as Pope utters: 

Belinda's beauty

“And now unveiled, the toilet stands displayed, 

Earth silver vase in mystic order laid’: 

The sacrifice to the gods and the change to the troops. :

“For this, ere Phoebus rose, he had implored,

Propitious Heaven, and every power adored”.

There is a single combat at Omber which well represents a characiense of a great epic and the poet describes it in an amusing manner

“At Omber singly to decide their doom, 

And swells her breast with conquest yet. 

Straight the three bands prepure in arms to joy, 

Eath land the number of the sacred ninę”.

The function of Belinda’s toilet is another matter of much importance which is described by the poet in a very heroic manner. Belinda decorated herself as she was to attend a religious ceremony and her toilet was as important as that of any religious ceremony,

“Puffs, powders, patches, bibles, billet-doux are alt brought on the same table and the sight so that she could better decorate herself”:

“The Rape of the Lock” becomes a very rare instance of an epic because in it we see that the incident is very trivial; happened to a particular individual girl, but this slight theme is given an exalted treatment. It is very vivid to say that the Pope does so in order to uplift the purposes of satire. In the whole poem, we see that much importance is given to all that is thoroughly unimportant and insignificant or particularly and practically meaningless and farcical. So, it can be said vehemently that the main concept of Pope on writing an epic on the rape of the lock of hair is funny and bears testimony to the poet’s effort to make the little great and the great little.

In the final analysis of the meaning, we say that the general social criticism which forms the background of the poem is still the matter under our discussion. The issue of confusion of values is again the theme here which can be underlined here on a broader scale.

A careful and deep study of the poem shows that Pope presents the absurdities, foibles, follies shortcomings and weaknesses of the fashionable world with affection and with an eye to the delicate beauties that its graces unfold. He satirizes all these above mentioned vices of the people of his age and as we know that behind every satirical work there is an element of reformation of the society. So, it is worthy to note here that under the satirical tone of “The Rape of the Lock” there is an element of reformation which in its tum gives a message of morality for the people. Now, there is no doubt in saying that as any great epic is also a didactic poem and the lesson of noble, humble and refined values is always there. The Rape of the Lock is not exempted from this.

Keeping all the above points of discussion in mind, we can say in the concluding remarks that the Rape of the Lock is one of the greatest mock-heroic poems of English Literature. In such kind of mock-heroic poems, an elevated, lofty and sublime style of epic poetry is used in order to uplift a trivial subject. As we know that the theme of the Rape of the Lock is neither historical nor conventional but it just belongs to Pope’s contemporary world of fashionable society; giving only an account of Lord Peter’s cutting of a lock of hair, from the pretty head of a belle. It is rightly acknowledged by the prominent critics of English Literature that in such kind of mock-epic poems, the little is made great and great the small in such a way that the effect results in mockery.

How Character sketch of Belinda is a mock heroine?

By
AQ Team (Hate War Love Peace)
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Character-sketch-of-Belinda

Character sketch of Belinda is outstanding portrait by Alexander Pope in The rape of the lock.Whenever we study most of the literary works of the great English dramatists, novelists and poets such as William Shakespeare, George Eliot, Fielding, Popem, etc., we come to know that these above mentioned writers had also presented female characters at the level of great heroines. Shakespeare’s Ophillia, Cordelia, Emillia, Caleopetra; George Eliot’s Maggi; Fielding’s Pameila and Pope’s Belinda have their own sublime and unique place in the literary works of English Literature. AQ Academy is presented Belinda character analysis here.

Characterization is not the strong point of a mock-heroic poem like The Rape of the Lock. There are many other characters in this mater-piece of the Pope. Among all the characters, Belinda is the one who is the central character in the poem and all the other characters and supernatural agents are directly and indirectly linked with her.

There is no doubt in saying that she is the most famous character in Pope’s poetry. On the one hand, she is a bundle of contradictions and on the other hand, she is the goddess of satire. At one place, she is the goddess of beauty and charm and at another place, she is the representative of the aristocratic society. It is through the medium of her character that the poet describes the flippancy and depravity of the 18th century English society.

The Rape Of The Lock

A deep and careful analysis of the poem shows that Pope throws light on her routine in detail because she is an ideal dream girl of Pope. Pope presents her character in such a manner that all her positive and negative traits or qualities become clear and vivid before our eyes. She loves lap dogs more than her lovers. She is very idle in her daily routine works. After waking up, the very first duty she used to perform was that of her toilet. She was very fond of having all the latest articles of beautification such as powder, paint, jewellery boxes, different bangles, colourful ear-droops, costly necklaces, etc. on her dressing tables.

Most of the time of her one day routine life was consumed in using different kinds of combs, perfumes and cosmetics. That’s why, Pope calls her the goddess of beauty because she is in love with her own beauty. There had been appointed a special maid servant — named as Betty for her help in her toilet. Apart from her maid servant, there were a number of Sylphs to perform various duties, assigned to them. In other words, we can say that her character is due to the assistance of the supernatural creatures. Though the Pope considers Belinda as an embodiment of contradictions yet he attributes divinity to Belinda’s character. She is an incarnation of the goddess of beauty.

At some other occasions, Pope compares Belinda as a rival of the sun and he describes her more brighter than the sun. She could even eclipse the sun by bringing joy in the world of fashion.

beauty-of-belinda

Pope describes her in a very beautiful and charmful manner in the poem when he utters:

“Belinda smiled and all the world was gay,”

 Pope describes her physical beauty in its full colours. Pope emphasizes on her physical charms, namely sparkling cross and white breast. After watching the full charms of physical beauty of Belinda, most of the Christians and infidels wished to kiss the cross just to be able to touch her breast. Outwardly, she is an embodiment of grace and sweetness which even cover up her inward flirtation and faults. Pope rightly describes her faults in the following lines:

‘If to her share some female errors fall, 

Look on her face, and you’ll forget all.”.

There are always two beautifully curled locks of hair on her neck which attract the attention of young lovers always because these locks are always meant to capture the hearts of youngmen. There would be no young men who escaped from that great seduction of the locks of Belinda’s hair. She used to visit Hampton court where she used to play cards with lords of the country which was nothing but the game of flirtation. The young lovers were prepared to lose and surrender their hearts to this fair maid. In this way, she got an extraordinary popularity and fame among the young folk. This increased her self-importance and significance and stirred up her pride. As it had already been stated that Pope presented Belinda as an embodiment of contradictions because Belinda was what she was not. She deceived others as she deceived herself.

Apparently, she wanted to be worshiped as a divine creature and also wished to be considered virtuous but inwardly she wanted to have fun with the young folk all the time. Outwardly, she rebuked and abused the baren but inwardly she had great love for the baren. Ariel got too annoyed and gave up his duties of guarding her virtues when he discovered her hypocrisy and paradoxical nature. On the one hand, she is a flirt but on the other hand, she wanted to be worshipped as a queen of virtue. In brief, we can say that all her anger is intended only to deceive others into thinking that she is a paragon of honour and esteem. Belinda was always conscious or mindful of her virtues, though she would not care if she lost her virginity in some secret love affairs. In addition to this, she is very mindful and caring about her reputation; about her morals. She always wanted to remain in the company of young people and wanted to be admired by them. Though on the one hand, she wanted to have a good time with men yet on the other hand, she would not like to be called cheap or frivolous but only as goddess of beauty and virtue.

Among all the other heroines of English Literature. Belinda had been the favourite heroine of Pope. After assigning extravagant words of beauty, virtue and honour to Belinda; it seems that the Pope has been enamoured with his own creation. The reason being, he describes her in superlatives: the goddess, the nymph, the fair, the rival of the sun’s beams. In this way, it seems that the Pope pays homage to this beautiful character who resembles Shakespeare’s Cleopatra. Like her, she is a perfection of beauty and the winner of men of her age She remains the winner and conqueror of Hampton-court and knows how to win the game of Ombre. She knocks down two knights at the table of cards. Her protest against the attack of Lord Peter means to put a premium on her chastity and virtue. 

Here, it is very worthy to note that Pope is not blind to her weaknesses, whims, shortcomings and faults. In fact, she is the goddess of sex who knows all the tricks of the sex games. Belinda’s reaction to the loss of her lock is quite natural. It is a violation of hero-ship and rules of chivalry and courtship. There is no doubt in saying that the Pope has presented Belinda as a personality that is full of amazing experiences. He has presented her in such a manner that we become able only after studying her character that she is really a representative of her age. Pope depicts the fashionable trends, tastes and crazes of aristocratic women of her age through her character. In other simple words, we can say that she is a social butterfly who meets different persons and personalities through the medium of attending social functions, marriages and funerals.

Mark Pattison who has rightly called Pope as the true representatives of his age and Belinda is an object of Pope’s chivalrous devotion of women. Some critics have very strongly and forcefully criticised Pope’s attitude towards Belinda and find some certain faults in it. But their criticism does not have solid arguments and so, it cannot be sustained because the Pope only reflects the eighteenth century view of women of high society. Moreover, the poem is written in mock-heroic vein and for this, any commonplace girl can be suited as a heroine of the mock-heroic poem. Belinda cannot be any other than a mock-heroic.

It is very obvious that the poet wrote this poem in a playful mood and his light satire should not be taken seriously. It is observed in most of the literary works that reflection or personal glimpses of one writer are commonly seen in his or her literary compositions. Same is the case with Pope’ here, being a rejected lover, he felt himself insulted and therefore bore a grudge against the fair sex. It is also stated rightly that he expresses his personal feelings in the “Rape of the Lock“; against the aristocratic women of his age in general. Belinda, being an embodiment of comic spirit; it is found a special charm that a fair and fashionable woman brings society together with all her pride and vanity. Her fickle nature is very beautifully and vividly contrasted with her bright appearance.

Her remarkable qualities of lack of discrimination and her failure to understand the true value of things compel Pope to present her quite an amusing and trivial. Pope shows her heart as a “moving toy – shop” where images follow images without any distinction and nothing serious has any place. The rape of her lock and then her reaction to it symbolically testify to the frail nature of her fashionable society, where sexual behaviour is subject of society for certain conventional standards: “The Rape of the Lock” is a poem in which, rare examples of comparison are found because it is very rare in other English literary works that a writer is comparing or equating virginity with China wares and woman’s honour to a “new brocade and husband with lap-dogs”.

Having all the above analysis of discussion in mind, we can say openly, forcefully and vividly in the conclusion that among all the prominent heroines of English Literature, Belinda is a complex character. There is no single term or formula enough to cover up her qualities. There is no doubt in saying that she is a true representative of the aristocratic women of the 18th century and it is through her character that we come to know about the shallowness, aimlessness and purposelessness of the routine of women of the upper-class of the Pope’s age.

She is more than a type because she has her own personality and above all she is remarked by her own traits, characteristics, whims and fancies of her personality. In the very beginning of the poem, we see that Pope firstly describes her a goddess and in the end a heavenly being All this shows Pope’s own loveful attitude towards a fair-sex. Pope worshiped beauty and had an over-riding respect for a girl of charms Lastly, what kind of attribution of lofty and sublime words has Pope given to her dream girl-Belinda in his poem of the “Rape of the Lock“, no other writer had given such kind of homage, respect and honour to his heroine. 

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