The Rape of the Lock: Canto I

Prenote:

The poem satirizes a society（through two families）that had allowed a minor incident to assume undue importance. A young man had cut off a lock of hair from the head of a society belle. The incident itself and the reaction to it are inflated by the devices of epic poetry. Through this mock-heroic satire, Pope brings the incident into the focus of common sense.

The poet sings of"great contests"that arise from"trivial causes"and hopes that Caryl, who suggested that Pope write the poem, and Belinda, who inspired the poem, will read it（lines 1-6）."What strange motive,"the poet asks, could cause this assault and violent reaction（lines 7-12）?

The sun opens the sleeper's eyes. It is twelve o'clock. Belinda lies in bed, still sleeping, protected by her sylph, who has brought her a dream of a charming youth, who seems to speak to her（lines 13-26）.

Belinda, the"Fairest of mortals,"the responsibility of a thousand bring spirits, should believe all she has seen or heard of"angel-powers". She should know that innumerable spirits hover around her and make her superior to common mortals with only physical attendants. These attendant sylphs were once women, and now continue the interests they had when mortal. When the proud beauty dies, her soul returns to its original element (fire, water, earth, or air), as its temperament directs (lines 27-66). Each fair and chaste maiden is protected by a sylph, who guards her honor in the face of the most tempting conditions (lines 67-78). Since nymphs are proudly conscious of their beauty and have dreams of rising to high station, such thoughts "early taint the female soul" (lines 79-90). It is the sylphs who cause women to stray. They direct that beau be opposed to beau, as wigs, sword knots, and coaches strive with each other at the sylphs' contrivance (lines 91-104). The speaker announces that "Ariel is my name,"Belinda's guardian sylph. Lately he has seen a dire event in her future, though he cannot tell just what it is to be (105-114).

Awakened by her dog, Shock, Belinda opens her eyes and a love letter. She reads it, and the vision vanishes (lines 115-120). Belinda is now carefully groomed and dressed by her haid and attendant sylphs (lines 121-148).