The Rape Of The Lock

“The Rape of the Lock” is a mock-heroic narrative poem by Alexander Pope, first published in 1712. The poem is a satirical take on a real-life incident involving the theft of a lock of hair from Arabella Fermor, a member of an aristocratic family in Pope’s social circle. The theft caused a minor scandal and led to a rift between the two families involved.

Pope’s poem takes this trivial incident and elevates it to epic proportions through the use of grandiose language, supernatural machinery, and epic conventions. The poem is divided into five cantos, each of which uses a different aspect of epic poetry to satirize the social mores and values of Pope’s time.

The poem is a masterpiece of wit and satire, and its enduring popularity has made it one of the most famous works of English literature. It is also notable for its innovative use of the mock-heroic form, which would go on to influence many other poets in the centuries that followed.