The Rape of the Lock Cantos 1-2

Canto 1

Plot Synopsis

Invocation to the muse (1-12): an epic convention wherein the poet seeks inspiration
The sleeping Belinda receives a message from her “guardian Sylph” (27-114)
Belinda awakes (115-20)
The “toilet”—i.e., makeup table—as epic catalogue (121-48)

Prompts

The Sylphs as described by Ariel (whispered in a dream to Belinda) are a kind of allegory wherein each represents some quasi-psychological defense mechanism. Comment on a passage or two that illustrates this aspect of the poem.
Examine and comment on the epic catalogue at lines 121-48. What do you find particularly humorous, and why?
Based on Canto 1 alone, what sort of satire would you say this is? Is it lighthearted and fun? Mean and nasty? Both? Support your thoughts by pointing to and commenting on specific passages.

Plot Synopsis

Prompts

The voyage up the Thames to Hampton Court (a royal palace just west of London) includes a blazon, a description of female beauty (1-18). (The term is derived originally from French blason, a description in heraldry of a coat of arms.) Examine the blazon as it is applied to Belinda and comment on its effectiveness as satire.
Satire, you’ll recall, often combines the lofty and the lowly, the significant and the trivial. Identify one or two passages in Canto 2 where a serious and dramatic tone is applied to something that is comparatively trivial or even silly, and comment on why it is effective.
Are there any features of Canto 2 that remind you of Paradise Lost, Lear, or Beowulf? Explain.