Then flash’d the living lightning from her eyes,
And screams of horror rend th’ affrighted skies.
Not louder shrieks to pitying Heav’n are cast,
When husbands or when lap-dogs breathe their last,
Or when rich China vessels, fall’ n from high,
In glitt’ ring dust and painted fragments lie!
The lines are from Alexander Pope's satirical poem "The Rape of the Lock." In this passage, Belinda, the poem's central character, is depicted in a moment of intense anger and frustration. The lines employ vivid and exaggerated imagery to describe her reaction to the loss of a lock of her hair, which serves as the central event of the poem. Let's explore these lines in the context of the poem:
"The Rape of the Lock" is a mock-heroic narrative poem that satirizes the triviality and extravagance of 18th-century high society in England. The poem revolves around the cutting of a lock of Belinda's hair, which leads to a social scandal and a dramatic altercation between the characters.
- "Then flash'd the living lightning from her eyes": This line describes Belinda's anger and fury. The "living lightning" refers to the sudden and intense gleam in her eyes, which can be metaphorically likened to a flash of lightning during a storm. It suggests that her anger is as powerful and destructive as a lightning bolt.
- "And screams of horror rend th’ affrighted skies": The use of "screams of horror" underscores the dramatic and exaggerated nature of Belinda's reaction. Her distress is so extreme that it seems as if the very skies are horrified by her screams. This hyperbolic imagery emphasizes the triviality of the situation and mocks the characters' overblown responses.
- "Not louder shrieks to pitying Heav'n are cast, / When husbands or when lap-dogs breathe their last": Here, the poet humorously compares Belinda's screams to the cries for pity that reach the heavens when husbands or lap-dogs die. This comparison serves to highlight the absurdity of Belinda's reaction by juxtaposing it with more serious and genuinely sorrowful events. It also satirizes the priorities of the upper class, who seem to equate the loss of a lock of hair with the loss of human or canine life.
- "Or when rich China vessels, fall’ n from high, / In glitt’ ring dust and painted fragments lie!": The poet extends the satirical comparison by mentioning the destruction of delicate and valuable china dishes. When these items fall and shatter into "glittering dust and painted fragments," it is indeed a loss, but the triviality of this loss is emphasized by comparing it to Belinda's reaction to her hair being cut. The image also plays on the idea of superficial and materialistic values.
In the context of the entire poem, these lines are part of the satirical treatment of the "rape" of Belinda's lock of hair, which is presented as a frivolous and exaggerated event. Pope uses humor and irony to critique the self-importance and vanity of the upper-class society he is satirizing. Belinda's reaction, described in these lines, serves as a prime example of the characters' obsession with trivial matters and their tendency to inflate minor incidents into dramatic crises.
Overall, these lines from "The Rape of the Lock" contribute to the poem's satirical tone and its critique of the social values and priorities of the 18th-century aristocracy. Pope's use of hyperbolic and mock-heroic language highlights the absurdity of the characters' responses to relatively inconsequential events, ultimately serving as a commentary on the superficiality of their world.
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