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Chaucer's Language Understanding Middle English If you have no experience at reading Middle English, the primary obstacle to appreciating the General Prologue is the language itself. Chaucer's English is over 600 years old, but it is still recognizably English, and with a little effort it can be understood. In fact, one of the great benefits of reading Chaucer is learning this older form of English, one that allows us insight into the minds and lives of the people who spoke it. At first the going is slow, and the language is full of words and phrasing that are at best unusual, at worst incomprehensible. Accordingly, on this site difficult words are glossed, that is, translations for them will pop up in a text box when you place the cursor over them. There is also a modern English translation, so if the Middle English text--even with the glosses--still leaves questions of comprehensibility, you may want to consult it. As you progress through the General Prologue, the translation should become unnecessary, and by the time you are finished, you will have enough familiarity with the language that it will be easier to understand, and its rhythms and manners of expression more comprehensible. A useful first approach is to read a portion of the General Prologue with full use of the glosses, noting what the words mean, how they are used, and how expressions are formed, and, then, after this first reading, to read the same portion again without the glosses. This uninterrupted second time through will give you a better sense of the overall meaning and the flow of the language. Pronouncing Middle English Listening to the language as it was spoken also helps, since pronunciation is important to understanding as well as to appreciating Chaucer's rhymes and rhythms. As with the words and phrasing, pronunciation of English has also undergone major changes since Chaucer's day. For well over the past century, scholars have been determining the sounds of Middle English, and today there is general agreement about its pronunciation (although some small points are still disputed). To hear renditions of it, click on the sound icons in the right-hand margins of the text or on Sounds in the left framebar, which will take you to the Chaucer MetaPage's audio collection of Chaucer readings. All of these have been made by professors who specialize in Middle English studies and are familiar with the language. These should be especially helpful if you want to get a feel for the language and its pronunciation by learning to recite the opening lines (lines 1-18) or other passages. For Further Study For a presentation of the finer points of pronunciation and an introduction to the grammar, consult Elizabeth Rehfeld's Chaucer's Pronunciation, Grammar, Vocabulary on the Harvard Geoffrey Chaucer site.For a discussion of the status and use of English in Chaucer's lifetime, see Larry Benson's The English Language in the Fourteenth Century, also a part of the Harvard Chaucer site. Quoting extensively from contemporary sources, Benson traces the use of French and English from the time of the conquest to Chaucer's day, when English once again re-emerged as the primary language of England. He also provides information about the English dialects (with examples) as well as the Great Vowel Shift.For learning more about individual words, use Benson's Glossarial DataBase of Middle English, accessed via the University of Michigan. This database provides all the occurrences of any word in The Canterbury Tales along with its part of speech--and at a click will give the line of poetry for each occurrence.

Posted by Jahanzeb Jahan at 8:41 PM 0 comments Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales I: The General Prologue (GP) [page numbers in NA refer to 8th ed., 2006] We will start our unit on the Canterbury Tales by discussing the work as a whole as an example of the Frame Narrative genre and the General Prologue as an independent piece within that collection. We will consider GP lines 1-42 as "opening signals" for the collection as a whole, and discuss the implications of the ending of the work (the Introduction to the Parson's Tale and Chaucer's Retraction) for our understanding of Chaucer's poetic ambitions. Finally, we will consider the General Prologue itself as an example of the genre known as "Estates Satire" and discuss a number of the Pilgrim Portraits in this light. You are responsible for the WHOLE TEXT in your modern English translation, but also for the following lines in the original Middle English printed in Norton: GP lines 1-42 (the opening); the portraits of the Knight, Squire, Prioress, Monk, Friar, Clerk, Wife of Bath, Parson, Plowman and Pardoner, GP lines 43-100, 118-271, 287-310, 447-543, 671-716; and Chaucer's comments on the "truth" of his fiction at GP lines 717-49. For help on the language, consult one of the linked websites, the handouts on e-reserve and NA 15-19. Be sure to bring BOTH the Norton Anthology (or photocopy of NA pp. 213-38 and 312-15) AND your translation to class! Please note that in the study guide below, numbers following "GP" refer to LINE NUMBERS in the original Middle English text printed in Norton (not page numbers). (Click here for instructions on preparing an ENGL 330 ORAL PRESENTATION.) . Don't forget to look for references to gentilesse (gentil) and trouthe (trewe) as you read. General Prologue, lines 1-42: Opening Signals Read carefully the first 42 lines of the General Prologue in middle English, NA 218-9, using the marginal glosses and footnotes to get a flavor of Chaucer's English. You CAN manage this, but OF COURSE you should READ IT FIRST IN YOUR TRANSLATION! Bring BOTH the translation AND your NA (or a photocopy of NA 213-38 and 312-15) with you to class. The opening lines of the General Prologue imitate the opening of another work which Chaucer and his audience knew extremely well: the thirteenth-century French Romance of the Rose, an allegorical dream vision about a young man (the dreamer-lover) and his efforts to win a beloved lady (the "Rose") that was the "best seller" of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Most educated readers -- including Chaucer's cultivated court audience -- were familiar with this work, which Chaucer himself had partially translated into English. By imitating the opening of this "best seller," Chaucer plays with the reader's expectations. EVERYONE knew the opening of the Romance of the Rose and the poetic conventions it invokes. So EVERYONE knew what's supposed to happen in the Springtime, when the sap rises, the birds sing, the flowers bloom, and people start to long for LOVE. Chaucer begins his General Prologue with an evocation of April, of birdsong and flowers, and of people who ALSO are in a state of longing. . . and then surprises us with what they're longing for! (see GP 12-18). Note also the reference to the "drought of March" (GP 2). Is England a country known for its dry winters? To what else might this line be a reference? (What parts of Europe are notably drier in climate than England? How would a poet like Chaucer know about the climate in, say, Greece or Rome?) In the first lines of the General Prologue, Chaucer does more than establish the ground rules of the pilgrimage. He also evokes the literary traditions of which he is a part, playfully manipulating conventions drawn from both classical and vernacular poetry in a virtuoso opening sentence that is 18 lines long (!). This virtuoso display of poetic knowledge and skill signals that one purpose of the Canterbury Tales collection is to allow Chaucer to STRUT HIS STUFF AS A POET well versed in the medieval art of translatio. The General Prologue as a Whole: Estates Satire The party described by Chaucer has gathered at the Tabard Inn in Southwark prior to departing on a pilgrimage to Canterbury (see the map of the pilgrimage route online or on e-reserve). What was the purpose of a medieval pilgrimage? For what reason was it considered useful to visit a saint's shrine or to touch his/her relics? (Recall our discussion of Sainte Margarete; see also the upcoming unit on Marian devotion.) Who is the "holy blisful martyr" (GP 17) and why is he of interest to the pilgrims? In what sense are they travelling to "seek" him? How many pilgrims are there? Are they a homogeneous group? What is the usefulness of this device to Chaucer? (What sort of people went on pilgrimages?) How is this helpful to Chaucer in his ambition to "strut his stuff" as a poet? (Would all of these people be expected to like the same kinds of literature?) Pay attention to the individual portraits of the pilgrims. From what walks of life do they come? Note pilgrims who represent each of the three "male" estates (see The Medieval Estates and study guide on Hali Meidhad to review concept of the medieval estates); note also the Wife of Bath representing the "female" estates of "wife" and "widow" while the Prioress presumably represents that of "virgin." Read carefully the portraits of Knight, Parson and Plowman. Of which "estates" are these idealized portraits? Other portraits represent two new classes that were gaining prominence in the fourteenth century: the urban middle class, and the intellectuals (people trained as "clerks" -- i.e. "clerics" -- but not destined to a career within the church). Which pilgrims represent these new classes? As you read the various portraits, pick out a key word or phrase to describe each pilgrim. Pay attention to physical descriptions (in medieval times, physiognomy was believed to be revealing of character -- see e-reserve chart or website on the four humors). What do the descriptions reveal about the pilgrims' characters? Which figures are painted in a positive or in a negative light? Pay particular attention to the portraits of the various religious figures (Prioress, Monk, Friar, Parson, Pardoner); to the portraits representing the other two "official" estates (the aristocrats = Knight and Squire; the peasantry = Plowman); to the "new" estate of Intellectuals (the Clerk, GP 287-310); and to the representatives of the "middle class" whose tales we will read: the Franklin (GP 333-362), the Wife of Bath (GP 447-478) and the Miller (GP 547-568). (Note that the Nun's Priest, whose tale we will also read, lacks a portrait -- he is only mentioned in passing as one of three priests accompanying the Prioress at GP 164.) How would you describe each of these figures? What do we learn about their past lives and characters? What seems to be Chaucer's attitude toward the Church? Is he anti-religious? What if anything is satirized? Contrast the portraits of the Wife of Bath and the other woman pilgrim described in the Prologue, the Prioress (GP 118-162). Love is mentioned in both portraits. Is the sort of love which interests each the same, or different? How might she define this "love"? Is it appropriate to her station in life? (What sort of love might one expect a Prioress to be concerned with?) Note the Wife of Bath's extensive prior experience (the first word of her own Prologue) as both a wife/lover (GP 462-4) and as a pilgrim (GP 465-9). Note the narrator's allusion to her partial deafness (mentioned in passing at GP 448); the story of how she lost her hearing plays a crucial role in her personal Prologue. What is the role of Chaucer the pilgrim within this group? Is he an objective observer? (See GP 37-41). Pay particular attention to lines GP 727-48 and GP 771-811. How does Chaucer define telling the "truth" in his poem? (The tales of the pilgrims are understood as fiction; what then is "true" about them?) What is the responsibility of the poet with respect to that truth? Is this "truth" similar to that of, say, the Dream of the Rood? How is the role/responsibility of the poet similar or different to that of Caedmon, the Dreamer in Dream of the Rood, or the skop (bard) of Beowulf? The Host says that the "best" tale is that which contains "best sentence and most solas" (GP 800) -- which best instructs and most delights us. How does this statement add to our understanding of the "truth" of the tales? Pilgrimage as Metaphor: From the General Prologue to the Close of the Canterbury Tales Consider the metaphorical implications of the Pilgrimage. On one level, it is a useful device for Chaucer because it permits him to assemble a group of very different storytellers who will tell very different types of stories, allowing him to "strut his stuff" as a writer (see Opening Signals, above). But there are strong metaphorical implications as well, best illustrated by the transformation of this theme in the Introduction to the Parson's Tale, the final piece in the Canterbury Tales collection. Read the editor's note NA 312-13 on the "Close of the Canterbury Tales" and peruse the text of the Parson's Introduction, NA 313-15. Know what time of day is evoked at the end of the tales (Parson's Introduction, lines 1-9) and the symbolism associated with that time of day. Consider how the Parson transforms the theme of pilgrimage from its original use in the General Prologue. Is the goal of this pilgrimage still the shrine of St. Thomas à Becket in Canterbury Cathedral? (see Parson's Introduction, lines 48-51). What is the symbolic value of this change in "destination"? Finally, pay attention to the Parson's disparaging comments about both alliterative and rhymed courtly literature (lines 31-47); he evidently shares Bede's skepticism about the value of literature intended purely for entertainment (what the Parson calls "fables" in lines 30-34 recalls Bede's "vain and idle songs," NA 25). Note that while this attitude seems appropriate to Chaucer's Parson, it cannot plausibly be attributed to the Chaucer of the General Prologue, who seems intent upon demonstrating his ability to write a broad variety of the very "fables" that the Parson scorns. Know what is meant by Chaucer's "Retraction" (see the headnote to the "Close of the Canterbury Tales," NA 313, and text, NA 315). Should we take Chaucer's repudiation of his prior literary production in the Retraction seriously? Or does the list of works in the Retraction betray a sense of pride in his literary production? In that case, we might see the Retraction as one last example of the different literary genres included in the Canterbury Tales collection, a final instance of Chaucer "strutting his poetic stuff" (see Opening Signals, above). Given that the Parson seems to redefine the Pilgrimage, changing it from a literal journey (from London to Canterbury) to a metaphorical one (from birth to death and beyond), the Parson's Tale, a penitential treatise teaching the reader how to atone for each of the seven Deadly Sins, could be seen as a particularly appropriate literary genre to read (or write) in the "twilight years" of one's life. Similarly, Chaucer's Retraction, in which "the makere of this book [taketh] his leve" (NA 315), might represent a particularly appropriate genre for a writer to master as his life draws to an end; it symbolizes Chaucer's recognition that what ultimately matters most is the salvation of one's immortal soul. In this regard, it is interesting to note that the Parson's Tale and the Retraction together constitute the final "fragment" of the Canterbury Tales in every manuscript that preserves the full collection (see NA 217). Posted by Jahanzeb Jahan at 8:37 PM 0 comments Link http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/gchaucer/bl-gchau-can-genpro.htm

it is the link to all the original tales Posted by Jahanzeb Jahan at 8:34 PM 0 comments The Rape of the Lock Introduction: The Mock-Epic . At the beginning of "The Rape of the Lock," Pope identifies the work as a “heroi-comical poem.” Today, the poem–and others like it–is referred to as a mock-epic and sometimes as a mock-heroic. Such a work parodies the serious, elevated style of the classical epic poem–such as The Iliad or The Odyssey, by Homer–to poke fun at human follies. Thus, a mock-epic is a type of satire; it treats petty humans or insignificant occurrences as if they were extraordinary or heroic, like the great heroes and events of Homer's two great epics. In writing "The Rape of the Lock," Pope imitated the characteristics of Homer's epics, as well as later epics such as The Aeneid (Vergil), The Divine Comedy (Dante), and Paradise Lost (Milton). Many of these characteristics are listed below, under "Epic Conventions.".. Setting . The action takes place in London and its environs in the early 1700's on a single day. The story begins at noon (Canto I) at the London residence of Belinda as she carefully prepares herself for a gala social gathering. The scene then shifts (Canto II) to a boat carrying Belinda up the Thames. To onlookers she is as magnificent as Queen Cleopatra was when she traveled in her barge. The rest of the story (Cantos III-V) takes place where Belinda debarks–Hampton Court Palace, a former residence of King Henry VIII on the outskirts of London–except for a brief scene in Canto IV that takes place in the cave of the Queen of Spleen. . Characters . Belinda Beautiful young lady with wondrous hair, two locks of which hang gracefully in curls. The Baron Young admirer of Belinda who plots to cut off one of her locks. Ariel Belinda's guardian sylph (supernatural creature). Clarissa Young lady who gives the Baron scissors. Umbriel Sprite who enters the cave of the Queen of Spleen to seek help for Belinda. Queen of Spleen Underworld goddess who gives Umbriel gifts for Belinda. Thalestris Friend of Belinda. Thalestris urges Sir Plume to defend Belinda's honor. Sir Plume Beau of Thalestris. He scolds the Baron. Sylphs, Fairies, Genies, Demons, Phantoms and Other Supernatural Creatures Source: A Real-Life Incident . Pope based The Rape of the Lock on an actual incident in which a British nobleman, Lord Petre, cut off a lock of hair dangling tantalizingly from the head of the beautiful Arabella Fermor. Petre’s daring theft of the lock set off a battle royal between the Petre and Fermor families. John Caryll–a friend of Pope and of the warring families–persuaded the great writer to pen a literary work satirizing the absurdity and silliness of the dispute. The result was one of the greatest satirical poems in all of literature. In writing the poem, Pope also drew upon ancient classical sources–notably Homer’s great epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey–as models to imitate in style and tone. He also consulted the texts of medieval and Renaissance epics. Plot Summary By Michael J. Cummings...© 2005 . .......Pope opens with a statement announcing the topic of his poem: A gentleman–a lord, in fact–has committed a terrible outrage against a gentlewoman, causing her to reject him. What was this offense? Why did it incite such anger in the lady? .......The woman in question is named Belinda. She is sleeping late one day in her London home when a sylph–a dainty spirit that inhabits the air–warns her that “I saw, alas! some dread Event impend.” The sylph, named Ariel, does not know what this event is or where or how it will manifest itself. But he does tell Belinda to be on guard against the machinations of men. .......Belinda rises and prepares herself for a social gathering, sitting before a mirror and prettying herself with “puffs and powders” and scenting herself with “all Arabia.” Afterward, she travels up the Thames River to the site of the social festivities, Hampton Court, the great palace on the north bank of the river that in earlier times was home to King Henry VIII. As she sits in the boat, “Fair Nymphs, and well-drest Youths around her shone, / But ev'ry Eye was fix'd on her alone.” In other words, she was beautiful beyond measure. She smiled at everyone equally, and her eyes–bright suns–radiated goodwill. Especially endearing to anyone who looked upon her were her wondrous tresses: This Nymph, to the Destruction of Mankind, Nourish'd two Locks which graceful hung behind In equal Curls, and well conspir'd to deck With shining Ringlets the smooth Iv'ry Neck........Among Belinda’s admirers is a young baron at Hampton Court awaiting her arrival. He has resolved to snip off a lock of her hair as the trophy of trophies. Before dawn, before even the sun god Phoebus Apollo arose, the Baron had been planning the theft of a lock of Belinda's hair. To win the favor of the gods, he had lighted an altar fire and, lying face down before it, prayed for success. .......After Belinda arrives at Hampton Court with her company of friends, the partygoers play Ombre, a popular card game in which only 40 of the 52 cards are dealt--the eights, nines, and tens are held back. It appears that the Baron will win the game after his knave of diamonds captures her queen of hearts. However, Belinda yet has hope, even after the Baron plays an ace of hearts: ...........................................The King unseen Lurk'd in her Hand, and mourn'd his captive Queen. He springs to Vengeance with an eager Pace, And falls like Thunder on the prostrate Ace The Nymph exulting fills with Shouts the Sky; The Walls, the Woods, and long Canals reply........Belinda wins! Coffee is served, the vapors of which go to the Baron’s brain and embolden him to carry out his assault on Belinda’s hair. Clarissa, a lady who fancies the Baron, withdraws scissors from a case and arms him with the weapon. When he closes in behind Belinda, she bends over her coffee, exposing a magnificent lock. But a thousand sprites come to her aid, using their wings to blow hair over the lock. They also tug at one of her diamond earrings to alert her to the danger. Three times they warn her and three times she looks around. But all is for naught. The Baron opens wide his weapon, closes it around the lock, and cuts. The rape of her lock enrages Belinda: Then flash'd the living Lightnings from her Eyes, And Screams of Horror rend th' affrighted Skies. Not louder Shrieks to pitying Heav'n are cast, When Husbands, or when Lapdogs breathe their last, Or when rich China Vessels, fal'n from high, In glitt'ring Dust and painted Fragments lie!.......A gnome named Umbriel descends to the Underworld on Belinda’s behalf and obtains a bag of sighs and a vial of tears from the Queen of Spleen. With these magical gifts, he means to comfort poor Belinda. First, he empties the bag on her. A gentleman named Sir Plume--prompted by his belle, Thalestris, a friend of Belinda--then roundly scolds the Baron for his grave offense. But the Baron is unrepentant. Umbriel then empties the vial on Belinda. Grief overcomes her as her eyes half-drown in tears and her head droops upon her bosom. She says: For ever curs'd be this detested Day, Which snatch'd my best, my fav'rite Curl away! Happy! ah ten times happy had I been, If Hampton-Court these Eyes had never seen!.......Clarissa tries to mollify Belinda in a long speech, but fails. A bit of a melee ensues when Belinda attempts to retrieve her lost lock. “Fans clap, Silks russle, and tough Whalebones crack.” Belinda proves a fierce combatant. She attacks the Baron “with more than usual Lightning in her Eyes” and throws a handful of snuff from Sir Plume's box up his nose. But, alas, when the battle ends, the lock is nowhere to be found. .......However, the poem ends on a happy note for Belinda, Pope says, because the trimmed lock of her golden hair has risen to the heavens, there to become a shining star. . . Theme The central theme of The Rape of the Lock is the fuss that high society makes over trifling matters, such as breaches of decorum. In the poem, a feud of epic proportions erupts after the Baron steals a lock of Belinda’s hair. In the real-life incident on which Pope based his poem, the Petre and the Fermor families had a falling-out after Lord Petre snipped off one of Arabella Fermor’s locks. Other themes that Pope develops in the poem include human vanity and the importance of being able to laugh at life’s little reversals. The latter motif is a kind of “moral to the story.” Clarissa touches upon both of these themes when addressing tearful Belinda, shorn of her lock: But since, alas! frail Beauty must decay, Curl'd or uncurl'd, since Locks will turn to grey; Since painted, or not painted, all shall fade, And she who scorns a Man, must die a Maid, What then remains but well our Pow'r to use, And keep good Humour still whate'er we lose?

Climax . The climax of The Rape of the Lock occurs when the Baron snips away one of Belinda's locks. .

Epic Conventions Because a mock-epic parodies a classical epic, it uses the same conventions, or formulas, as the classical epic--but usually in a humorous way. For example, a convention of many classical epics is a sea voyage in which perils confront the hero at every turn. In The Rape of the Lock, the sea voyage is Belinda's boat trip up the Thames River. Her guardian sylph, Ariel, sees "black omens" that foretell disasters for Belinda even though the waves flow smoothly and the winds blow gently. Will she stain her dress? Lose her honor or her necklace? Miss a masquerade? Forget her prayers? So frightful are the omens that Ariel summons 50 of his companion spirits to guard Belinda's petticoat, as well as the ringlets of her hair. Following are examples of the epic conventions that Pope parodies: Invocation of the Muse: In ancient Greece and Rome, poets had always requested “the muse” to fire them with creative genius when they began long narrative poems, or epics, about godlike heroes and villains. In Greek mythology, there were nine muses, all sisters, who were believed to inspire poets, historians, flutists, dancers, singers, astronomers, philosophers, and other thinkers and artists. If one wanted to write a great poem, play a musical instrument with bravado, or develop a grand scientific or philosophical theory, he would ask for help from a muse. When a writer asked for help, he was said to be “invoking the muse.” The muse of epic poetry was named Calliope [kuh LY uh pe]. In "The Rape of the Lock," Pope does not invoke a goddess; instead, he invokes his friend, John Caryll (spelled CARYL in the poem), who had asked Pope to write a literary work focusing on an event (the snipping of a lock of hair) that turned the members of two families--the Petres and the Fermors--into bitter enemies. Caryll thought that poking fun at the incident would reconcile the families by showing them how trivial the incident was. Division of the Poem Into Books or Cantos: The traditional epic is long, requiring several days several days of reading. Dante's Divine Comedy, for example, contains 34 cantos. When printed, the work consists of a book about two inches thick . Pope, of course, presents only five cantos containing a total of fewer than 600 lines. Such miniaturizing helps Pope demonstrate the smallness or pettiness of the behavior exhibited by the main characters in the poem. Descriptions of Soldiers Preparing for Battle: In The Iliad, Homer describes in considerable detail the armor and weaponry of the great Achilles, as well as the battlefield trappings of other heroes. In The Rape of the Lock, Pope describes Belinda preparing herself with combs and pins–with "Puffs, Powders, Patches"–noting that "Now awful Beauty puts on all its Arms." Descriptions of Heroic Deeds: While Homer describes the exploits of his heroes during the Trojan War, Pope describes the "exploits" of Belinda and the Baron during a card game called Ombre, which involves three players and a deck of 40 cards. Account of a Great Sea Voyage: In The Odyssey, Odysseus (also known as Ulysses) travels the seas between Troy and Greece, encountering many perils. In The Aeneid, Aeneas travels the seas between Troy and Rome, also encountering perils. In The Rape of the Lock, Belinda travels up the Thames in a boat. Participation of Deities or Spirits in the Action: In The Rape of the Lock--as in The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, The Divine Comedy, and Paradise Lost--supernatural beings take part in the action. Presentation of Scenes in the Underworld: Like supernatural beings in classical epics, the gnome Umbriel visits the Underworld in The Rape of the Lock.

Publication Information Pope published three versions of The Rape of the Lock. The first was a two-canto version published in 1712. The second, published in 1714, was a five-canto version that added references to sylphs and other supernatural creatures. The final version, published in 1717 in a volume of Pope's poetry, added Clarissa's speech in Canto V.

Verse Format . Pope wrote The Rape of the Lock in heroic couplets. A heroic couplet is a unit of two rhyming lines in iambic pentameter. A line of verse in iambic pentameter consists of 10 syllables. The first syllable is unaccented, the second accented, the third unaccented, the fourth accented, and so on. The entire poem consists of one heroic couplet followed by another, as demonstrated by the first four lines of the poem: What dire offence from am'rous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things,.......................[First Couplet: springs and things rhyme] I sing–This verse to CARYL, Muse! is due: This, ev'n Belinda may vouchsafe to view............................[Second Couplet: due and view rhyme] Each of the lines has 10 syllables in a succession of accented and unaccented pairs (iambic pentameter), as follows: What dire offence from am'rous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things, I sing–This verse to CARYL, Muse! is due: This, ev'n Belinda may vouchsafe to view You may have noticed that Pope turned amorous into two syllables by eliminating the o and attempted to turn even into a single syllable by eliminating the second e. Poetic license permits poets to make such adjustments to achieve their ends. .

Figures of Speech . The main figure of speech in The Rape of the Lock is hyperbole. Pope uses it throughout the poem to exaggerate the ordinary and the commonplace, making them extraordinary and spectacular. In so doing, paradoxically, he makes them seem as they really are, small and petty. Examples of hyperbole include the following: Sol through white Curtains shot a tim'rous Ray, And ope'd those Eyes that must eclipse the Day. ...Hyberbole: Belinda's eyes are so bright that they outshine a ray of sunlight This Nymph, to the Destruction of Mankind, Nourish'd two Locks which graceful hung behind ...Hyperbole: Belinda is so beautiful--and her wondrous locks so inviting--that she can bring mankind to ruin with desire. Examples of Other Figures of Speech in the Poem Personification Love in these Labyrinths his Slaves detains Anaphora He saw, he wish'd, and to the Prize aspir'd Alliteration Where Wigs with Wigs, with Sword-knots Sword-knots strive, Beaux banish Beaux, and Coaches Coaches drive.

Questions and Writing Topics Is there a serious message about the world, about human conduct, behind Pope's mischievous mockery? Pope uses many allusions to Greek and Roman mythology. Why did so many writers of his time--and why do so many writers today--allude to mythology to make comparisons or describe situations and characters? Write a short poem that uses heroic couplets and allusions. Write an essay explaining the role of nature imagery (including references to the sun, the sky, the moon, lakes, rivers, grass, flowers, parks, and meadows) in the poem.