On a Trivial Thing a Heavy Battle may be Fought?

Epic poetry is one of the oldest forms that have come down to us from the ancients. But the mock epic is one of the newest forms that have come down to us from the modern. Actually according to Aristotle’s Poetics and Horace’s Art of Poetry, an epic is a long narrative poem dealing with heroic achievements and eternal human problems with serious, earnest and dignified style with a beginning, middle and an end.

But on the other hand, John Jack has rightly said that a mock epic is a complete parody of an epic poem in which its theme, diction, machinery, supernatural beings, ceremonial performances, style, action, title and situation all are mocked.

Before beginning the Rape of the Lock as a mock epic poem, the readers must know the components of a real epic poem and in a mock epic poem what parts of an epic are

mocked by the poet. So according to the ancient rules and regulations they are eight most important elements of a real epic poem: ancient theme, grand style, immaculate hero, supernatural human beings, a beginning a middle and an end, grand title, setting on the large scale, grand structure, and grand machinery.

As the history exposes that before composing Rape of the Lock as a mock epic poem Pope has read thoroughly Boilo’s book titled Le Lutrine. He borrowed ideas and thoughts from Boilo’s book but his style is personal and a beautiful blend of Homer, Virgil, Tasso and Ariosto. Only heroic couplets are his personal effort in writing Rape of the Lock.

It is a fact that the pioneers of epics were Homer and Virgil. Most of the writers tried to compose epic poetry in the 18th century. So we may call the age of Pope was the age of mock epic poetry. Poetry reached into England through dizzy from Greek. First of all Spenser composed Faire Queen an immature epic poem on the classical model but only Milton succeeded in composing a true epic poem titled Paradise Lost.

On the other hand Pope composed a true mock epic poem on the classical model titled Rape of the Lock. Rape of the Lock expresses mock epic effect, rape is a serious moral offence, which means vindication of woman chastity by force. It is considered a grave crime politically and socially and morally.

Secondly, the title covers the whole story of the poem as Iliad and Ulysses. Iliad describes the wrath of Achilles and Ulysses describes the achievements of ideal hero. Pole used the serious term in an amazing way. The possession of lady Blinda’s hair- locks by force. Thirdly, the theme of the poem indicates mock epic effect, grand deeds of a grand hero but here is shown a trivial incident of a trivial man, Lord Peter, who cut Blinda’s hair’s locks by force and considered it a grand deed because Blinda had rejected his love. After cutting the locks a horrible fighting started between the two families. Thus Pope was requested to reconcile among them. On the other hand, he was compelled to compose a mock epic poem on cutting the locks.

Fourthly, the hero of the poem also shows mock epic effect, because hero of the true epic becomes immaculate with noble thoughts and feelings. But here Dryden does not accept the idea that a hero should be pure and immaculate. Here he cites the example of Achilles’ hero Iliad is neither good nor had good traits and he is cruel to his father, Priam. So the hero of a true epic or a mock epic may be with right or wrong intention as the hero of Rape of the Lock.

Fifthly, supernatural characters indicate mock epic effect in Rape of the Lock. Actually the in any literary work supernatural elements show forthcoming catastrophes. In the ancient epic supernatural characters were gods and goddesses, but in Rape of the Lock supernatural characters are sylphs, gnomes, Ariel, spirits and nymphs. Sixthly, the style of the poem indicates mock epic effect and is contrary to the ancient grand style and triviality is not allowed in the true epic.

Bu on the other hand, in Rape of the Lock trivial things and incidents are shown and mocked by the poet and a criminal deed is presented in a majestic way in Rape of the Lock. Seventhly, the structure of Rape of the Lock indicates mock epic effect as well. It has a beginning, middle and an end like a drama and is long like a drama. A true epic takes years but mock epic takes hours.

To sum up, Rape of the Lock is a true mock epic poem and is complete parody of the true epic in all respects. On the other hand it is a complete record of the 18th century in shape of an epic poem.

Actually, the main purpose of Pope was to tell the readers what the people of his age were doing forgetting their status. They considered mean deeds grand deeds because their thinking was corrupt due to falling frivolities of women. So it is a great achievement of Pope to compose a mock epic poem forever in which people doings, thoughts, feelings and emotions are present in a concrete shape.