Metamorphosis in The Rape of the Lock
ROBERT
FOLKENFLIK
r i i H E character of C l a r i s s a i n The Rape of the Lock has
been the subject of sharp m o d e r n c r i t i c i s m , t h o u g h
*
she has not l a c k e d s p i r i t e d defenders. She has been
p i l l o r i e d both as a h y p o c r i t e a n d as the common-sensical,
spoil-sport destroyer of the poem's toyshop w o r l d . P e r h a p s
Pope thought, as Jane A u s t e n w o u l d later, that he h a d w r i t ten a w o r k too " l i g h t a n d b r i g h t and s p a r k l i n g " a n d wanted
i n 1717 to b r i n g i n another tone. A c c o r d i n g to h i s o w n account, he added C l a r i s s a ' s speech to the 1717 v e r s i o n of
The Rape of the Lock i n order "to open more clearly the
Moral of the Poem."
H i s w a s a p r o b l e m i n the r h e t o r i c
of f i c t i o n . H o w could he convey a positive ideal t h r o u g h
the presentation of negative instances? T h i s is a l w a y s the
satirist's problem, b u t i n a poem w h i c h h a d t o serve a t once
as satire a n d panegyric t h e p r o b l e m was p a r t i c u l a r l y acute.
1
2
" T h e stealing of B e l l e F e r m o r ' s h a i r , " s a i d P o p e to
Spence, " w a s t a k e n too seriously . . . . " The Rape of the
Lock takes i t s terms f r o m A r a b e l l a F e r m o r ' s behavior.
H e r over-reaction to t h e c u t t i n g of h e r lock becomes t h e
n o r m a l scale f o r every a c t i o n i n the poem, as i t s hyperbolic
title suggests; a n d since a l l the other actions a r e of even
less consequence, t h e i r heroic elevation measures h e r distance f r o m r e a l i t y . T h e m o c k - h e r o i c is n o t used i n this
poem p r i m a r i l y to judge m o d e r n society b y the standards
of a m o r e heroic age.
The Rape of the Lock is not To Augustus before i t s time,
satire m a s q u e r a d i n g as panegyric.
P o p e solved h i s probl e m t h r o u g h a n i m p l i e d c r i t i q u e w i t h i n a texture of praise.
T h e satire becomes sharper, as E a r l W a s s e r m a n has demonstrated, w h e n w e probe the contexts of Pope's allusions.
Y e t Pope, as h i s " D e d i c a t i o n " to A r a b e l l a F e r m o r w i t h its
3
4
28
ROBERT F O L K E N F L I K
explanation of the most r u d i m e n t a r y terms of epic c r i t i c i s m
reveals
( " T h e Machinery, M a d a m , is a T e r m invented b y
the C r i t i c k s . . . " ) , d i d not expect h e r to apprehend this
level of the satire; indeed, he seems to count o n the sharpest thrusts being missed b y her, i f not b y the cognoscenti/'
Pope conveys w h a t even A r a b e l l a F e r m o r could apprehend
t h r o u g h h i s use of metamorphosis.
The Rape of the Lock is Pope's most O v i d i a n poem. Pope
creates, as has been r e m a r k e d , a dazzling w o r l d of beautif u l surfaces w i t h w h i c h he is half i n love h i m s e l f ; b u t he
knows that one cannot s i m p l y love them, f o r , as he implies
t h r o u g h h i s use of metamorphosis, they cannot last. T h e
poem starts w i t h the r i s i n g s u n b u t ends w i t h a star that
w i l l r e m a i n w h e n a l l suns set, i n c l u d i n g the m o r t a l B e l i n d a ,
w h o is compared to the s u n throughout. Hence the m i x ture of wise sadness a n d amusement along w i t h love a n d
sympathy.
T h e use of metamorphosis is double-edged. O n the one
h a n d i t seems t o i m p l y a conservation of m a t t e r — beautif u l things m e r e l y change into different b e a u t i f u l things,
g i v i n g us a w o r l d of kaleidoscopic g l i t t e r ; on the other h a n d
we have permanent t r a n s f o r m a t i o n s : the vase shattered,
the lock cut (the p o s s i b i l i t y of its g r o w i n g back is deftly
left out of consideration), v i r g i n i t y lost, beauty gone, death.
The u n n a t u r a l metamorphoses, supernatural o r a r t i f i c i a l ,
w h i l e often attractive, are always delusive. T h e n a t u r a l
metamorphoses a r e permanent a n d h a r d l y welcome, b u t
they a r e r e a l . T h e burden of the poem i s to show A r a b e l l a
F e r m o r , a n d b y extension a l l y o u n g ladies a n d a l l of us —
the beauty i s a more poignant example of the general cond i t i o n — the t r u e state of affairs.
T h e sylphs, b e a u t i f u l a n d c h a r m i n g — transparent i n
several senses of the w o r d — hold out a promise not o n l y
of narcissistic pleasure b u t also of i m m o r t a l i t y . T h e y once
were w o m e n themselves. T h i s is one of the metamorphoses
w h i c h sends the m o r a l sense o n h o l i d a y a n d moves the
poem f r o m the r e a l w o r l d to a f a i r y l a n d . A r i e l , b y re-
29
T H E RAPE OF T H E LOCK
collecting the sylphs' transformations, leads us to expect a
w o r l d where a lovely t h i n g changes into something else, different but equally d e l i g h t f u l :
As now your own, our Beings were of old,
And once inclos'd in Woman's Beauteous Mold;
Thence, by a soft transition, we repair
From earthly Vehicles to these of Air. (I, 47-50)
There a r e overtones here of the voice f r o m beyond the
grave. W e m a y also notice that "beauteous M o l d " is o x y moronic, perhaps suggesting the B i b l i c a l image of the potter's c l a y .
O u r strongest sense, however, is of "soft
transition."
T h e sylphs are not o n l y m e t a m o r p h i c beings but also t h e
cause of metamorphosis i n others:
"With varying Vanities f r o m e v ' r y P a r t , / T h e y s h i f t t h e m o v i n g T o y s h i p of
their H e a r t "
(I, 99-100). T h e r e is such a w h i r l i g i g of
m o t i o n i n these lines that w e c a n h a r d l y keep t h e m i n
focus.
A r i e l claims, i n a n a r g u m e n t analogous to one
Pope was to advance seriously i n An Essay on Man, that
the seeming disorder of w o m e n is a c t u a l l y caused b y t h e
invisible a c t i v i t y of the s y l p h s :
7
Oft when the World imagine Women stray,
The Sylphs thro mystick Mazes guide their Way,
Thro' all the giddy Circle they pursue,
And old impertinence expel by new . . . .
This erring Mortals Levity may call,
Oh blind to Truth! the Sylphs contrive it all.
(I, 91-4, 103-4)
" A l l Chance, D i r e c t i o n , w h i c h t h o u canst not s e e : "
Ariel's
t o p s y - t u r v y m o r a l i t y makes moralists err. T h e y seem n o t
only w r o n g b u t s i n f u l . T h e sylphs, s u b s t i t u t i n g f o r t h e
H o m e r i c gods and M i l t o n i c angels, absorb and pervert t h e
ostensible religious standards i n t h e p o e m .
U n d e r such tutelage w h a t wonder that B e l i n d a acts as
h i g h priestess to b r i n g a d e i t y — herself — into being?
A s she cosmetically converts herself into a goddess, a n d a
w a r r i o r goddess a t that, we a r e treated t o the m i c r o c o s m i c
w o r l d i n her b o u d o i r :
8
30
ROBERT F O L K E N F L I K
This Casket India's glowing Gems unlocks,
And all Arabia breathes from yonder Box.
The tortoise here and Elephant unite
Transf orm'd to Combs, the speckled and the white.
Here Files of Pins extend their shining Rows,
Puffs, Powders, Patches, Bibles, Billet-doux. (I, 133-8)
T h e minuscule is aggrandized, and the impressively large
appears d i m i n i s h e d . A s i n the later t r a n s m o g r i f i c a t i o n s
of the three seal rings f r o m buckle to whistle to B e l i n d a ' s
bodkin, the tortoise a n d elephant — together a s y m b o l of
the w o r l d — are reduced i n m e a n i n g as w e l l as size.
The
s l i g h t l y blasphemous cast of the w h o l e scene is set off b y
the incongruous " B i b l e s " , incongruous, that is, u n t i l we
see t h e m as jeweled bibelots.
T h e s y l p h s ' d i s a r m i n g i n t e r p r e t a t i o n m a y h o l d the stage
at t h i s point, but we have a number of other suggestions
as to the r e a l end of metamorphosis. T h e cave of Spleen,
Pope's adaptation of the epic u n d e r w o r l d , is c l e a r l y a dem o n i c v i s i o n of metamorphosis, f u l l of up-dated O v i d i a n
grotesqueries.
I n this fantastic w o r l d , the r e t u r n of the
repressed ( " M a i d s t u r n ' d Bottels, c a l l a l o u d f o r C o r k s " ) is
accompanied b y the unpleasant side of conventional f e m inine m u t a b i l i t y : the spleen and headache, affectation a n d
tears. If the tone of the e a r l y cantos c a n be s u m m e d up
in the line "Belinda s m i l ' d , a n d a l l the w o r l d was g a y , " here
the tone is signaled b y the gnome's p r a y e r :
9
Hear me, and touch Belinda with Chagrin;
T h o u g h we w o u l d be r e d u c i n g the poem to see B e l i n d a as
a manic-depressive, the c u t t i n g of the lock t r a n s f o r m s her
entirely f r o m one mode of being to another. Pope's h y p e r bolic praise e a r l y i n the poem insures that her f a l l w i l l be
extreme.
E v e n before we enter the C a v e of Spleen, however, the
comparisons P o p e makes at the m o m e n t the lock is cut are
i n t i m a t i o n s of m o r t a l i t y . A m o n g the things w h i c h are perm a n e n t l y transformed, we f i n d the c h i n a vessel, last i t e m
i n a n a n t i c l i m a c t i c catalogue w h i c h moves d o w n the scale
of being f r o m husbands to lap dogs. B u t this vase, whose
T H E R A P E OF T H E LOCK
31
religious a n d sexual overtones have received m u c h c o m m e n t , is the heroine of a couplet t r a g e d y :
10
Or when rich China Vessels, fal'n from high,
T h e image is A r i s t o t e l i a n i n its depiction of a f a l l f r o m a
h i g h a n d prosperous state. A n d the o x y m o r o n i c status of
the t r a g i c hero (compare Othello's " a n honorable m u r d e r e r " ) is b r i l l i a n t l y conveyed b y the second line's conflations
of beauty a n d destruction. T h e hubris w h i c h l i n k s the
c h i n a a n d B e l i n d a is present i n the " p a i n t e d F r a g m e n t s , "
f o r B e l i n d a h a d e a r l i e r converted herself into a goddess
b y p a i n t i n g her face. A f t e r these "sacred R i t e s of P r i d e "
at the end of C a n t o I, B e l i n d a sails down the T h a m e s :
But now secure the painted Vessel glides,
The Sun-beams trembling on the floating Tydes,
While melting Musick steals upon the Sky,
And soften'd Sounds along the Waters die. (II, 47-50)
M a r t i n P r i c e , w h o notes that the phrase " p a i n t e d vessel"
applies equally w e l l to B e l i n d a a n d her boat, compares the
passage of D a l i l a ' s a r r i v a l i n Samson Agonistes,
a n d perhaps w i t h E l i o t ' s combined allusions i n The Waste Land to
Antony and Cleopatra a n d The Rape of the Lock i n m i n d ,
we c a n see another t r a g i c temptress on her barge.
T h e anaphoric lines w h i c h describe B e l i n d a ' s emotions
w h e n her lock is cut also contain h i n t s of Belinda's u l t i mate f a t e :
11
Not youthful Kings in Battel seiz'd alive,
Not scornful Virgins who their Charms survive,
Not ardent Lovers robb'd of all their Bliss,
Not ancient Ladies when refus'd a Kiss, . . .
E'er felt such Rage, Resentment and Despair,
As Thou, sad Virgin! for thy ravish'd Hair. (IV, 3-6,
9-10)
T h e effects are p a r t i a l l y m u t e d t h r o u g h a n t i c l i m a x ( N o t
Cynthia w h e n her Manteau's p i n n ' d a w r y " ) , but the lines
w h i c h refer to w o m e n otherwise insinuate a life history,
the same basic response at stages i n a misspent l i f e . T h e
s c o r n f u l v i r g i n will s u r v i v e h e r charms, a n d w h a t the v i r g i n denies the "ancient l a d y " m a y beg for.
32
ROBERT F O L K E N F L I K
U p t o t h i s point i n the poem, every e x p l i c i t statement
has been favorable to B e l i n d a . A l l c r i t i c i s m has been b y
i m p l i c a t i o n . I n 1717, however, P o p e decided that he needed his n o r m s voiced as a w a y of b r i n g i n g the i m p l i c i t c r i t i c i s m into prominence.
C l a r i s s a explicates the values a t h e a r t of the p o e m . '
B e l i n d a is concerned solely w i t h appearances, but C l a r i s s a
inquires after essence: " S a y , w h y a r e Beauties p r a i s ' d a n d
h o n o u r ' d most . . . ? " T h e a d o r a t i o n t h e y receive should
have some s t a b i l i t y :
2
How vain are all these Glories, all our Pains,
Unless good Sense preserve what Beauty gains:
That Men may say, when we the Front-box grace,
Behold the first in Virtue, as in Face! (V, 15-18)
T h e options a r e q u i c k l y canvassed. I f one could l i v e i n a
w o r l d of r a p i d l y c h a n g i n g b e a u t i f u l appearances, Belinda's
ethics w o u l d be s u f f i c i e n t :
Oh! if to dance all Night and dress all Day,
Charm'd the Small-pox, or chas'd old Age away;
Who would not scorn what Huswife's Cares produce,
Or who would learn one earthly Thing of Use?
To patch, nay ogle, might become a Saint,
Nor could it sure be such a Sin to paint. (V, 19-24)
A s elsewhere i n t h e poem, religious terms evoke l a r g e r
ideals w h i c h can not come f u l l y i n t o the structure. S i n is
b r o u g h t l i g h t l y i n t o conjunction w i t h p a i n t i n g a n d serves
to evoke the overtones present i n t h e f a l l of c h i n a , as
C l a r i s s a indicates the metamorphosis w h i c h w i l l take place
regardless of Belinda's protean changes:
But since, alas! frail Beauty must decay,
Curl'd or uncurPd, 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? (V, 25-29)
T h e possibilities considered a r e presented as m u t u a l l y exclusive a n d exhaustive. C l a r i s s a sees v a r i e t y as reducible
to a n either/or s i t u a t i o n w h i c h leads to a f i n a l impasse:
" a l l s h a l l f a d e " i n a n y case. " W h a t e ' e r we l o s e " puts the
lock i n its place a m o n g things great and s m a l l w h i c h are
T H E R A P E OF T H E L O C K
33
of less importance t h a n B e l i n d a ' s attitude towards t h e m .
Clarissa's logic is s i m i l a r to that of m a n y carpe diem poems
("If to dance . . . " " b u t since . . . " " W h a t then remains
. . . " ) , but i t is adapted to other ends. T h i s speech w i t h
its playfulness a n d p o s t u r i n g w o u l d not i n s t r u c t B e l i n d a
to seize the day, but to remember that there is a t o m o r r o w .
Clarissa's speech parodies, as Pope revealed i n a footnote,
" T h e E p i s o d e of S a r p e d o n . " Sarpedon urges death i n battle; C l a r i s s a wants B e l i n d a to c a l l off the f i g h t .
Given
the difference i n circumstances, e q u a n i m i t y replaces m a g n a n i m i t y as a v i r t u e .
B e l i n d a is spared the f u l l harshness of the alternative.
Pope suggests i n another tone w h a t H a m l e t tells the s k u l l
of Y o r i c k , " N o w get y o u to m y lady's chamber, a n d tell
her, let h e r p a i n t a n i n c h t h i c k , t o this f a v o r she m u s t
c o m e . " Pope's o w n famous depiction of w h a t o l d coquettes
become appears i n the " E p i s t l e to a L a d y " :
13
As Hags hold Sabbaths, less for joy than spight,
So these their merry, miserable Night ;
Still round and round the Ghosts of Beauty glide,
And haunt the places where their Honour dy'd.
See how the World its veterans rewards!
A Youth of frolicks, an old Age of Cards,
Fair to no purpose, artful to no end,
Young without Lovers, old without a Friend,
A Fop their Passion, but their Prize a Sot,
Alive, ridiculous, and dead forgot. (239-48).
T h i s ferocious v i s i o n is too s t r o n g f o r The Rape of
the
Lock.
There we have not the l i v i n g - d e a d hags but the
c h a r m i n g sylph who, " t h o u g h she plays no more, o'erlooks
the C a r d s " (I, 54).
Pope hides his terrors t h r o u g h the
strategic use of metamorphosis.
R e u b e n B r o w e r has commented w i t h characteristic i n t e l ligence and tact on the closeness i n tone of The Rape of the
Lock a n d Pope's " E p i s t l e to M i s s B l o u n t , w i t h the W o r k s of
V o i t u r e . " " T h e l a d y , " he observes, " i s offered the same
consolation a n d defence i n both p o e m s . "
W h a t we should
notice i n the f o l l o w i n g lines is the emphasis on w h a t c a n be
achieved i n the mutable w o r l d i n w h i c h h u m a n beings actually live:
14
34
ROBERT
FOLKENFLIK
Trust not too much your new resistless Charms,
Those, Age or Sickness, soon or late, disarms;
Good Humour only teaches Charms to last,
Still makes new Conquests, and maintains the past . . .
(59-62)
B e l i n d a does not t h i n k i n terms of a t o m o r r o w , but Pope's
perspective allows h i m h i s u r b a n e l y i r o n i c tone, because it
takes i n m o r e t i m e t h a n the single day on w h i c h the rape
occurs. T r a g i c t h e o r y m a y have h a d something to do w i t h
l i m i t i n g h i s action to one day, but his consummate artistic
sense led h i m to see the i r o n i c implications of presenting
one d a y i n a l i f e . T h e i d e n t i t y of Clarissa's advice to
B e l i n d a a n d Pope's to M a r t h a B l o u n t should be no surprise,
f o r w i t h i n the context of The Rape of the Lock B e l i n d a is
b e i n g i n v i t e d to do on a h u m a n level w h a t Pope does on an
a r t i s t i c level b y t u r n i n g h e r lock into a s t a r (and b y extension her being into his poem) : this metamorphosis
w i t h its O v i d i a n echoes turns the changeable into the timeless. B e l i n d a cannot stave off time's f i n a l t r i u m p h , but
w i t h i n her l i f e she can create a being w i t h d u r a t i o n , a self
w h i c h , i n Clarissa's words, "preserves w h a t beauty g a i n s . "
T h e emphasis is not on the process of character f o r m a tion, as it w o u l d be f o r the R o m a n t i c s , but on the product,
the f o r m e d a n d steady character.
S u c h a character, once
attained, w o u l d be i n a sense static, but i t m u s t be actively
m a i n t a i n e d despite the t e m p o r a l dangers to w h i c h i t w i l l
be subjected. Once the t r a n s f o r m a t i o n w h i c h C l a r i s s a recommends has been completed, r a d i c a l metamorphosis w i l l
be a n external phenomenon against w h i c h the good-humoured character preserves a balance. M e t a m o r p h o s i s has
been central to Belinda's life w i t h o u t h e r being conscious
of it. C l a r i s s a tries to make h e r aware that metamorphosis, even of one's o w n person, must be seen as external
to h u m a n consciousness.
T h i s is a n attempt to create a
k i n d of consciousness f o r B e l i n d a w h i c h she does not have
and w h i c h , i n the context of the poem, she refuses.
Pope's metamorphosis of the lock into a star at the end
of the poem is a n O v i d i a n device:
a w a y of s a v i n g his
T H E RAPE OF T H E LOCK
35
h e r o i n e a t a p o i n t w h e n , o n t h e level of experience, she is
unable to get out of h e r predicament.
T h i s is, however, a n
i r o n i c r e d e m p t i o n ; a l t h o u g h unable to create a consciousness f o r herself, B e l i n d a w i l l be able t o i l l u m i n a t e others.
T h e poem begins w i t h a w a r n i n g f r o m a s y l p h , b u t t h e
entire poem i s a n a d m o n i t i o n f r o m the poet.
gift.
I t is also a
A s the d e d i c a t i o n a n d t h e poem's c o n c l u s i o n m a k e
clear, P o p e offers A r a b e l l a F e r m o r m o r e t h a n a quid
quo.
pro
H e gives h e r a better l o c k t o t a k e t h e place of t h e
one she has lost; a n d h e r acceptance of the poem i n the
s p i r i t i t w a s g i v e n w i l l be a t once a r e c o g n i t i o n of i t s t r u t h
a n d a n a c t i o n w h i c h w i l l show she has the c h a r a c t e r B e l i n d a
lacks.
NOTES
'Rebecca Price Parkin, The Poetic Workshop of Alexander Pope
(Minneapolis, 1956), pp. 127, 171-2; Murray Krieger, "The
'Frail China Jar' and the Rude Hand of Chaos," Centennial
Review, 5 (1961), 176-94.
-The words may be Warburton's rather than Pope's. The Rape
of the Lock and Other Poems, ed. Geoffrey Tillotson (London, 1962), II, 199 n. A l l references in the text will be to
canto and line of this edition (hereafter referred to as Twickenham). In addition to Tillotson's comments and notes, the
most important work on metamorphosis in The Rape of
the Lock appears in Rueben Brower's Alexander Pope: The
Poetry of Allusion (Oxford, 1959) and two recent articles,
Ricardo Quintana, " 'The Rape of the Lock' as a Comedy
of Continuity," Review of English Literature, 7 (1966), 9-19;
Ralph Cohen, "Transformation in The Rape of the Lock,"
Eighteenth-Century Studies, 2 (1969), 205-25.
Joseph Spence, Observations, Anecdotes, and Characters of
Books and Men, Collected from Conversation, ed. James M .
Osborn (Oxford, 1966), I, 43.
E a r l R. Wasserman, "The Limits of Allusion in The Rape of
the Lock," Journal of English and Germanic Philology, 65
(1966), 42544.
^'Twickenham, II, 142.
"See Brower, Pope, p. 150.
One thoroughly traditional epitaph would be: "Stranger, as you
pass me by, As you are now, so once was I.
As I
am now, so you will be. Prepare for death and follow
me." The potter's clay as a symbol of frail humanity in
the hands of God appears in Jeremiah 18:1-6, 19:1,10-11; Isaiah
29:16; Romans 9:20-21, etc. See Gisela Zick, "Der Zerbrochene
Krug als Bildmotiv des 18. Jahrhunderts," Wallraf-RichartzJahrbuch 31 (1969), 149-204. A n d for similar imagery see
Aubrey Williams, "The 'Fall' of China and The Rape of the
Lock," Philological Quarterly, 41 (1962), 412-25.
:,
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s
In a footnote Pope draws a connection between the sylphs and
the fallen angels (I, 145 n.). It is also worth noting the
frequency with which variations on the word "mortal"
appear (I, 27, 103; III, 101; IV, 93; V, 44). Together with
the oft-noted sexual euphemism "die" they suggest possibilities which the sylphs ignore.
For Pope's probable knowledge of the symbol, see Martin Price,
To the Palace of Wisdom (Garden City, New York, 1964),
p. 151.
See especially Cleanth Brooks, "The Case of Miss Arabella
Fermor" in The Well Wrought Urn (New York, 1947), pp.
80-104.
Martin Price, Palace, p. 153.
-There is perhaps something unpleasant in Pope's economical
decision to have the woman who assisted the Baron point
the moral. She is not in any way hypocritical, but in retrospect her action in producing the "glitt'ring Forfex" smacks
a bit of teaching Belinda a lesson rather than educating her.
Pope trusts that the tone of her speech — its genuine sympathy — will carry its own weight. And since Clarissa
existed merely as a bit player before Pope conceived her
speech, her motivation as the Baron's accomplice may not
bear too much looking into.
See Ralph Cohen, "Transformation," 214-7, for a close comparison.
Pope, p. 149.
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