A Short and Simple Summary of Alexander Pope's Classic Mock Epic Poem "The Rape of the Lock".

A Short and Simple Summary of Alexander Pope's Classic Mock Epic Poem "The Rape of the Lock".

Belinda wakes up from her sleep to prepare for the day’s social activities after sleeping late. Her guardian sylph, Ariel, warned her in a dream that some disaster is about to happen to her, and promises to protect her to the best of his abilities. Belinda takes little notice of this oracle, however. After an elaborate ritual of dressing, she travels on the Thames River to Hampton Court Palace, an ancient royal residence outside of London, where a group of wealthy young People are gathering for a party. Among them is the Baron, who has already made up his mind to steal a lock of Belinda’s hair. When the part members arrive at the palace, they enjoy a tense game of cards, which Pope describes in mock-heroic terms as a battle. This is followed by a round of coffee. Then the Baron takes up a pair of scissors and manages, on the third try, to cut off the lock of Belinda’s hair. Belinda is furious. Umbriel, a gnome, goes down to the Cave of Spleen to obtain a sack of sighs and a flask of tears which he then bestows on the heroine to fan the flames of her Anger. Clarissa, who had helped the Baron in his crime, now suggests Belinda to give up her anger in favor of good humor and good sense, moral qualities which will last longer than her pride. But Belinda did not listen to her, and Belinda starts a Fight between the ladies and the gentlemen, in which she attempts to recover the severed curl. The lock is lost in the confusion of this mock battle, however; the poet consoles the sad Belinda with the suggestion that it has been taken up into the heavens and the lock has become a constellation (group of stars forming a pattern on the sky at night).