Although The Rape of the Lock as a work parodies the serious, elevated style of the classical epic poem, Alexander Pope uses them as patterns to be based on. There are links to themes like women as representative figures of beauty. For instance, in The Odyssey, women play a very important role, that of human beings who represent seductress.
In this classic work we find figures like Calypso who is tempting Odysseus with her destructive power of the enchantress, although he denies her; and Circe, whose charms are directed towards the same person as well. In addition, there is a very significant moment when she turned Odysseus’s men into the image of pigs. A vivid image of animals compared to men that can be kept by women as if they were pets.
Then, as we can see through Alexander Pope’s poem, the element that guides Belinda’s behaviour is the defence of her honour. In fact, when the images of cosmetics pervade the poem, the author is not just suggesting war but a fight for Belinda’s honour. In addition, Belinda’s beauty and her “tempting” locks are represented as weapon themselves because she can bring mankind to ruin with desire.
And so, as a result, what we have is two apparently different works which can be linked one to each other. They both use female beauty and enchants as a useful tool for them in order to gain a certain amount of power through their sexual charms.
