The R ap e o f th e L oc k and the

C on te xt s of Warfare
Ho wa rd D. Weinbrot*

Editors note : In the firs t par t of his essa

y. Weinbror has arg ued that th e A m
Thalestri a: r,n
s emb odies and mag nifi es 'dan ger ous
tmi ts · in Beli nda . l'i= . her agg ress ion
which is sho wn in her wis h to be the .
'Om bre · or mal e cha mpi on in the car
and her ·con flict ing sex ual des ires · d-g am e.
incl udin g th e ·ear thly Lov er lurk ing
Heart . · Tha iest ris · pow e,fu l voic e mus at her
t be bala nce d by one of equ al wei ght
Belinda must cho ose bew een them : 'Bel . and
inda is pois ed betw een virg inity and mar
and within this poe ms valu es, she mus riag e.
t cho ose adu lt mar riage. or cho ose
wro ngly .
Weinbrof con tinu es :

Clarissa: "to ope n mo re clearly the

moral of the poem'
So optimistic a vie w of Cla riss a 's spe
ech . however, is for eign to what
has been cal led the rec ent •ope n sea sdn
aga ins t her · .' If she is a nor m.
the argument goe s, wh y doe s she bec om
e the bar on.i s inst rum ent and
arm him for the fig ht as a lad y doe s her
kni ght in rom an ce ( Ill. 11. l 2 5-
30)? Either she is out of tou ch wit h Bel
ind a's real nee ds, or wis hes to
have the bar on for her sel f and is try ing
to hur t Bel ind a. 1 do ttot fi nd
these obj ect ion s per sua siv e. For one thin
g, a w~ ma n arm in'g/' a knight
need not den ote rom ant ic exc han ge. , As
Spense r' s · Let ter_of _the Au~hors '
makes plai·n · th F ,.· Q, ueene Un a
.m e arm s the ·clo wn ish Red ( ros sc
When she stil l thin ksae, 1e I
him ,a c;qu ntr y bumpkin unfit .t·or_t.h k d
first ac c tas ':. ~-n a~
cep ts h.1m · mu c h gam .
e-s ay1·ng' M ore ove r wh eth er C hm ssd. the
•·
scisso . .. ·
. of ill (Ill \ . 126) docs not me
rs, or bot h a re the m stru m cn1s an
·
ii ·rn· J,, 1 ·k and the con texts of
. isex trac tis fro m p.4 0-4 8of '7'h e Uap Wa, fare · i11
C1.S Ro e <~/t ,e ·0 ' ' ti
J: , . usseau and Pat Rog ers. eds . ,J-,he . d .• I 'X" CI '.' / e,w rni t"i· /-' oJW "i t•1 ·i.:1.·11fc11w1
~.\sll vs· C J~n ,,, ,n14 ,e . 1 t - 48 Min or ahri d~c
· · · am b· ri. dge · C amb n. d gc ·u niv
. ers.1ty J>re ss ( 198 8 ). - .
1m :1Hs
have b ~ ·
een m.ad e to ·t he foot note s fo r the
. , .~ )f ..
purpos es ( thi ·s cl.htion.

l
 124 Howard D .

tl1nt Clnnssa
Wdnbrot

. . . ti er t11an the baron ·s motivation was bad· b

s ta l
T
~ d nd if properly contro 11 e d . In . .
addition sin act aCtion
have a goo e . (111 1 .' ce the I
can · f the •New Stratagems . . 120) that nse in th P oy
· cnlled one O • fr h' A" e bar ,
is • . I . . d as the steam nses om ts couee. he_and Clar· on s
non11na mm
had time to hatch a p l ot-t houg . h h . .
t ere ts tune to g ~
tssa co I
d
1
! 13
r~ly rnv~olescen t flit1ation . Nor is_jt..-like.Ly thaj._Qati.s_s a
up m an a
w:,tt~ _ht
If •th the baron by urgmg Be 1·m d a to marry h.ttp. Such
. . ,_;~- ~ e n ; .
- contract· . P
herse ~ · . . h . . tctton
-:- 1 re illogical or . r: s
e1t1er a .., . too complex fort e simple _ _ charactenza tion tn he
Rape Of . the
. Lock. Fmally.. Pope. Warburton, . or both forgot that Cl .
.. anssa
had given the baron a sc1sso:s. for 1_n the 1751 ed1~1~n she is called 'A
new Character introduced m the subsequent Ed,twns to open more
clearlv the MORAL of the Poem' (TE 11, p. 199n). I thus suspect
the o~e hand. that the earlier action need not bear too heavy a burdeonn
and. on the other, that Clarissa 's name was too apt not to be used fo;
demonstrable wisdom . ----
If that earlier action is a magnet for interpretati on, it probably should
be seen not as a rival 's mischief, but as a friend's kindness. Sol!_d Clarissa
knows what the air y ~hs m~st leam-tha! the _?aron and Belinda are
. ~p ~ate ~~~tors~ as an a~ly she ~ pesto oring them _together by joining
an-,apparently harmless tnck. As Ralph Cohen put 1t before Clarissa's
eclipse~- 'lier sophisticate d approach to adaptation is apparent when she
assists the Baron in the rape though she has clearly not anticipated the
consequence s that follow this action. She,_ sought to satisfy the wish in
Be~ a's heart, but did not----Ga1culate___upm.:i- the.....g.uit between fomuuid
frankness. ' 2 Since the lock nonetheless must be regained, though, how
better to oo so than by such sane adaptation. by. say, inviting its wicked
ravisher -to return it at teai then at supper. then at a ball, and then at the
nuptials consequent upon so many visits to so good-humo ured a belle?
C@"issa 's error is not in pr_oy iding_the~sci§sors. but in ove!:_~tunat.i:ng
h~r rhetorical powers and Belinda's ability to accept he!:_p,uidance .
Instead, she too is carried away in Thalestris · cal l to a rmsand is trapped
in the modern Amazonom achia, one nonetheles s dramaticall y soften~d
from the horrors of ancient warfare. Whatever Pope 's achievemen t ': 1th
Clarissa ·s speech. however, he made clear his often overlooked intenuon.
John Dennis' severe ' Remarks on Mr Pope ·s Rape of the Lock' ( 1:~ 8)
observe that in the Lutrin Boileau. unlike Pope. ·seems to have gi,~en
b. roa d 1-rmts _at what was his · re fut·ttt 011
real Meaning· . Pope writes this '
111 th
c margm- ·C tarissa 's Speach'. 3 .•
- As the ?~aTC.!'..._Of that !}l~aning. she receives praise. is gr~ccful. -~~
th e honorific ' Dame · ( V. I,
35 ). and has the preseiicc1nm2edH1Cd)._...
 The Rape of the Lock and the Contexts of Warfare / 125

he noisy reproaches-areund her- with the sjmpte wave of her fan

~l~ g). She also enjoys ~he narrator's impl_icit ~upport. Like_him,
('.J, w·ish~ for a peaceful ~atnage ~o?tract betwe~n the c~mb~~~ her
sh~ me Dear' (V, I. 31) 1s echoed lt'i tne narrator's own 'trust the Muse'
'trust I 23)' as he relates t l1e apot heos1s . of the lock; her advice_ to c1ccept
1
(Y, h·uman situation and the transience of Jema}e_beauty is reiterated in
the l d h . - - -
ti;efiarrator 's know e ge t at ~el~nda's ? ~ n 'fc!ir Suns' mus~
that 'all Tho_se Tress~s shall_be lat ~ _n Du~t _(~, 11. 147-8); her consequent
awareness that Belmda i:1ust chec~ pride m_h~r bejl_uty (V, l_I. 33-4)
1
~ the narrator s h~pe tljatt he b§UJ1fuu o,man_wlJLb.ave
'Sweetne~s void of Pride' (II,_1. l 5)_;~ d her reco)1lmendation of the
heafing,enticing value of good humour (V, 11. 31-4) andJ he_pJealo have
~ nse preserve what Beauty gains ' (V , i. 16) draw on P2J?e's own
in1rodud ory letter to Araoelfit Ferm'of.tfefelf~-h er that th~ poem ' was
intended ~only to divett a few youngLadies, who have good Sense and
good humour enough to laugh' both at their own and their sex's follies
(p. 142). 4 ~larissa) -~ uted retort also is the finaLaddress , is the saine
length as Thalestris' , and is a counter to it. If Belinda is to become an
a~ ne must have demortstrabJe_.o.ptionS--00-whi ch- to_ ex~cd se.J ier
fre'eaom of choice.
-BeHnda:-tlios hears an alternative to Amazonian values, and we thus
see Pope sharing his moral authority with the clarifying woman who
enriches his poem and his narrator's judgment. That narrator regards
Belinda as an adored object whose beautify) face tn6!kes J1J.!Jl tocgeLbe_r_
fl aws (lT, Il. 16-18). Si~te.rly Clarissa ~geaks of mature_pi:udenc;e, s.ubtly
alerts Belinda to the consequences of attrac6 nE ang rejecting me12, and
~ acterizes theenlargmg· world i}ij_available ' w~at'e r w_ e l!>se' (V ,
i:loJ:-She also adds a hitherto absent didactic tone m her nme probing
questions and their spoken or unspoken answers within twenty-six lines.
By so doing she briefly changes the poem 's focus from potentially
destructive ,~ale worship of beauty, to the more important potenti_ally
constr uc t'1ve .c1emaIe use o f beauty· Thereafter her verbal presence g, ves
the narrator's ost-battle peroration the united force of male" and female
hurn . d p t b th sylph and gnome are exc luded from the
an w1s om so t I1a o ed with Clarissa . , 'fl -, , .. t· •
s power. it.: n c1trd or ga ins
Poe, ' ' . f
n s final paragraph m us . ins from the narrator.
as tn I I . f rom Clanssa as s1ie ga .
, siJccc h to G lauc us m th e Iliad
Lie 1 aut 1or1ty
Tl • · 1
'ti1 Sarpcc on s ~ .
1at authority begins wi ' of Pope 's fovn urit cs, long was
· speech .wascrntic
XII ' II . 371 - 96 . 'fl ,,_s one rcspomdbi l1t• y. and was sing led
regarded as a paradigm of ar 1st0 as wisdom worthy of the god s. s
out by Madame Dacicr and Pope
 11,,wnrc I 1) • Wc111htol

• . _ Ju ~c<l wi th pomp . so that we w ill expect ,

· Ion• ~ '" 1
~nr,,cc .. \ /lll rn, 94 n · //,or/.
0
. • . e-rcatn
X II) : by birth he 1 the su _ess r, ,..
I11111 ( / J,• . 1' . • 8
. p,e rto, 0••i
either side . and thu s unlike them has ·the M of an
.,,111hotan1~ 0 11 . I E . b anne,
~ _ and deserve s · uni vers a stcem ccause of h. 'f>f a
1, cro
11c1. feet . - , ., - _ ' " inrn..
111 cnt (
. TE VIII. p. 263 n : /!,ad. XVI.
b l See. also rt
:, 1 - n. vu, '""'tcir
/!ind.XV I. I. 605 n) . Before gomg mto att e agamst_the Greeks..Sp· ,.. 6dr,
J • •
c

tells hi s cousin that they ~re honoure d as gods m Lycia. giv~~ Q

. - e
pr1v1 1eg . ,c1 0 aming Bowls and feasts enhance d by music 'l7...uey iall(i_
1

• •
•
r:n
dese rv e such digmtt es. through pnncely conduc t- here. by ernbra . ~
• •

. r • I Ctng an
eth ic in which they e1tl~er give or take mart1a glory. Everyon e must d,~
and princes should ' give to Fame what_ \~e _to Nature owe· (TE Vlll
p. 96 : Iliad, X~L 1. 394) before age d11nm1shes the no~ili ty of the~
sacrifice. On t111s scheme . the leader repays the debt of national homa
with his own or his enemy 's life in battle . The advice indeed is godlit
for ,vhen this son of Zeus and Laodem ia was finall y slain by Patrocl~·
Zeus comman ded Apollo to preserv e his body from G reek desecratio~
and cleanse. anoint, and transpo rt it to an honoure d place in Lycia.
Glaucus . on the other hand. though also noble , is not so well connected
or cleve r as his relation . When opposed to his family's former guest
J 11 , ,medes, they refuse to fight and instead exchang e complim ents and
g1t1s of armour. Since Glaue us· was gold and Diomed es · bronze. the
Greek outsmar ted the Lycian who, as in Iliad, VL 11. 288-95 (TE Vll.
pp. 340- 1). evoked the express ion · gold for bronze · as an emblem of
an uneven trade .6 With these two names as announ ced backdrop . Po~e
can suggest that Clarissa 's advice both has epic and divine roots. and
is offered to someon e of lesser ·wit.
Such divinity . howeve r. was not untan1i shed. and as with several
maners Homeric was subject to reconsi deration . In Book II of Paradise
lost Milt.on uses Sarpedo n ·s speech on Satan ·s behalf. Like Sarpedon.
he must. reciproc ate the splendo ur and power which adorn and arm _h,~
th rone (IL 11. 446- 73) and repay 'These Ro yalties· by accepting Ot
hazard more · -that is. take upon himself the fight against hun1ankm~
(11. 11. 445-6 ). This success ful ploy. Milton ·s nanator tells us. is but·
· god-li~e imitated State· and part of the va in wisdom and fols.~ phi kiS'-'filJ
end cnrn:
"' · · to }_]1 e II (II. IL - - ). Shortlv then:aft · l 1· :·\ uf\1~\lJ~
) 11 . )65 cr. th~ Pen.: ~ ·t
lkfl at1: · S d .·
s · arpe on s speec h by insis tin·o th at its t:mphns1•s llf , nkuotU r i:--
1ood aoli drin' . 11 .
. I\ est pas capable d , emo . o . . . ,
uvmr dt:s t!,()tHl.rc'.'\ c. ' · •'
t ks p.1t1' r
1111 M: ruhk s · ( 11 7 ) . . " i ·· t -,01cn ti.
1If\
· p. . Surpcdo n s spt:~d,. then. ,.vn.s nobk ll i · 11
. ch~
l1H\-\ed and iir ·J. ,. • · . ' I . · . .., 111c~c,
. i.; n ,utt tor non - A nrn , on mn won1t.'1L ( . nnss,
~ 1ltt 11 c tq!e oi 1 , . • . • . . . · i 11' ,~ dll!' ·
Ii~·1l'
t ~p c 1.: t 111 g ilnLI lt ans\.·t:nd tng h~r S l H tr ct~. ol .,1.\ lHl ~
 The Rape of the Lock and the Cont exts of Wa rfare / 127
..

. b'le insis ting upon the oblig ation s of thos e in pow er,
ahty w i . .
and sensu . , noble death into usefu l hfe. .
and of turnmhgB linda and Thal ~tris ,_Clari ssa rejec ts van1 ty_an .
d suffe~ g
Vnl1·ke bot . e ly to be wors hipp • ed from · h h'le bem g-
;;;;,e3- am mere ~~~~~~~~~7C.=
presum
not1ow w d-o
...-e--
e .P
it m. '
wit out w
h . ~inste ad smce she alone of the three ~=: :~~
1
~
- ~o-
·
wom en s.p..¢ak.eis__..1 s
the Cave of Sple en, she can intro duce two essen t1a · l
te~ s
~ te0- hyer colle ague s-int erna l good sense and virtue to bala
tore1gn ~ - -
n,c.e
~ appearance:

How vain are all these Glories, all our Pains .

Unless good Sense preserve what Beau ty gains :
That Men may say. when we the Front -box grace .
Behold the first in Virtue. as in Face (V. 11. 15- 18)

She also introduces conc epts that answ er the socia l bank ruP-t9
' of I!_eli ng_a
and Thale stris. Wom an is not to be degr aded by Beli nda' s
own imag e
oflierself as -a v egeta ting ·flow er dignified only by its beau
_!y. Inste aq,
·s ne,nu st learn and accept the exten sive housewif e 's cares
, for if mere
dancing and dress ing kept away defac ing i'Ifues s and the wrin
kles of age.
'who would learn on£__,grthly thing oLU se1.,:' (V, l. 22). Use is
more than
utilitarian~ it is both relat ed to the parab le of the talen ts
and to the
medieval usufructus that Pope advo cates in later satir es on
the use of
riches, where land and weal th are God' s temp orary gifts to one
in serv ice
to many. " Tis Use alo~e that sanct ifies expe nse ' (l. 179)
, Pope tells
Burlington in 1731 in the Epistle to Burlington. As Swif t
also told bis
congregation, God made ' all the Works of Natu re to be usefu
l, and in
some Man ner a Supp ort to each other ' in orde r to solid ify
' the who le
Frame of the Wor ld'. One' s adva ntage s thus are not perso
nal prop erty
hut ' only a Trus t: .. lent him for the Serv ice of other s ' .5
As such a
~eward, the girl who m both Belin da and Thal estris chara cteri
ze as acted
~ an beco me a vigo rous wom an who in w inn ing her battl e
of the
~xes unproves herse lf and her presu med comb atant. She cann
1 ot nego tiate
?ts-e nlarging- pre-n uptia l rite of passage if" she- beco mes
an Ama:z.on
literally or figur ative ly destr uctiv e of life or of heterosex ual
comm lmity,
~ Clarissa bluntly states. ' she who scorn s a Man , must die a ~1a.id •
( ' l. 28). Ther efore , ·

What then remains. but well our Pow· r to use,

And keep good Humo ur st ill wlrnh:· t:r we los~?
And trust me. Denr! good H umour can prev t,il,
 ,_'? ,!< I Howord D. WcinbrOl
When Airs. and Flights. and Screams. and Scolding fail
Beauties in vain their pretty Eyes may roll; ·
Cham1s strike the Sight. but Merit wins the Soul.
(V. II 29
. ·31)
With such an ethic. Belinda need not be a bottle calling for
. . d
the baron a d1m-w 1tte peer w hose ch.te f attraction
. is- his~
a cork
nor
.
becomes a woman of ment, . an d he a title·
man of soul. If Be!i~ ch
th.is counsel of metamorphosis, she can regain her .locla nd earn
~ P~
-
r\ share in the consequent human family unavailable to un~seM ~ ua I
untouched roses. - en and
---..
That floral image, in fact, suggests one further function of Clar· .
. .
pl'tenual prot~alam1?n. We re_call that the card-q~eens in Belinda 's ISSa hand
s

or
\held a ·FI~w r, Th express iv~. Emblem theu Softer Pow'r' (Ill, I.
40)-th at 1s. the ~ wer asj!"a.91t1onal ~L~_bol of virginity. •If thou beest
yet a fresh uncroppeofl ower. / Choose thou thy husband, and I'll pay
thy dower'. the King of France says to Diane in All's Well that Ends
Well (V, iii. 11. 327-8). If Belinda is an unseen, unplucked rose, often
thought the ·Flower of Lov\f :6 and dies in the desert, she abandons her
ultimate weapon in the batt1f of the sexe~. whose peace conference is
the m_arriage bed . Pope's poem is profoundly 'traditional' in its insistence
on courtship and marriage; it is profoundly. perhaps cynically, 'realistic'
~ in its knowledge of the modem sexual barter that replaces ancient
sexual
tape.
Addison's Spectat01~ no. 128, 27 July 1711. offers an appropriate
gloss for · good humour·, and its meaning in The Rape of the Lock. He
observes that 'Men and Women were made as Counterparts to one
another, that the Pains and Anxieties of the Husband might be relieved
by the Sprightliness and good Humour of the Wife. When these are
right}~, tempered. Care and Chearfulness go Hand in Hand; and th~
Family, like a Ship that is duly trimmed. wants neither Sail nor Ballasl.
each being equally important for smooth sailing . Accordingly. th.e sex~s
are fulfilled by one another. and 'Their Virtues are blended 10_ ~he~
. . .
Cluldren, and diffuse through the whole Family a perpe tual Sp1nt e·o
Benevolence. Complacency, and Satisfaction.· ·A Man must be~
John Hughes adds on 15 February 1712 (no. 302). not to be ,mpr
Sav:~ed
and humanized by the good humour of such a woman .7 no,., , ·,t,t
Clariss a's speech, then.Js .jnde.e cltbe mmal centre O[ Th t'• R~ • . 0• 1~~'·
.. . I . sst 1
Lock. It rejects spleen . girlhoo d, hosttht y. 1so ation. powt:rk _ 11 m 1~.;, .
inutility, fo lly and frustration in favour of good humo ur,_~:£.11 t'. -\\11~·11
affc~tion, community. power. - - • I ti\' ( l, 11
use and virtue . More ':i t l t' P ·
 The Rape of the Lock and the Contexts of \\'arfare 1 129

. da now has her own choice of Hercules the sign on her cross-~road
l
Bein . .
ints towards Thalestn s and the Amazono machia this poem was designed
po avoid. Belinda rejects Clarissa as ' To Arms, to Arms! the fie rce
~irago crie~ I Ana swift as L 1gfitmng tolheCo mbate flies· ( V, ll. 37-
S)~The lightning of attr~c: io_~ in ~ ~linda's eyes in C anfo I has b~c_2!11e
· the lignffl'ing--of de-structt o~ ~n CaIJ!fV. He!_lc_e once Claris~a· s wt~dom
itreJected , the repressed sexual and physical combat of the card-tab le
is·a cte~d out in appropria tely diminish ed but serious form-a s w o und s,
looks, snuff and bodkins harm the combatan t while the delighted gnomes,
mimicking the Homeric gods, watch or join the battle. The unleashi ng
ofsexual -tensions is as clear:
- --
See fierce Belinda on the Baron flies. /
With more than usual Lightning in her Eyes;
Nor fear'd the Chief th' unequal Fight to try. 7
Who sought no more than on his Foe to die. j (V. 11. 75-8 )

From 1714 on several critics, and perhaps Ar · lla Fermor herself.

,:omplain ed of the poem's indecenci es. In 1728 William Bond berated
·thi_s Chaste PerJ_ormance' and ,angrily_ saict-·Ev ery-Body knows what. ~ ,
Dymg upon a fmr Lady means. 8 Pope ·s narrator, though. was not angry. ...,,.,...
for unlike Belinda he shares and augments Clariss~ 's advice regardi~ g ~
the pacificat ion of sexual death. Comment ators on the narrator 's role
have wisely emphasiz ed his direct but affectionate correctio n of Belinda.
and shown how he urges her not to seek untouche d permane nce in life,
but in mytholog y or art - namely. his own poem. They have not.
however, fully appreciat ed the implications of his allusion to Catullus .
known both as an erotic poet and as the celebrant of sexuality in
marriage. When Belinda's lock is metamorp hos~d to a comet. 'Not
s
Berenice Locks first rose so bright. / The Heav ns bespangl ing with
dishevell 'd Lighf (V, 11. 129-30). In the ·co~1~ Berenice s · Berenice
promises Aphrodit e to sacrifice her abundant hair tf her husband Ptole my
~ J:". the wars When he does. she places her lux uriance
re t urns sa1e 1y 1rom ·
· . A hrOdite 's temple. and later 1·s to Id t h at the vanish ed
up0:1 an altar m P f ct· ·
. b
h air ecame a const e llat1·on as a sign o ivme approva I f,or s uch \\'ifrh
behaviou r Berenice is a helpful deus _ex nwcd ,~w, ~rc_
. .
h·
tl'
f · , f ,1 • ·
rui:~tt: rt~· l ~~~\ '-.;
-Amazon ian mo_ e o :::-e111.: ros1 > tor H~11n1.b.
wi sdom , a1 1
. an d .- fi t wa)'
o_ er - -- d 1· ·, ·· \\ 1· '1,17,,.:--r.-
i\.u -., ,
~ 11 ~ ts mdee ,1 I , to en a c 1sd1ss1on . t. t \ u
•
i mll a us1on . 1' the p~riod whl'n Popt.: 'I\ _11s ~ tHll\g nmnlmod,
the l ock, c omposed duru g . .·. , . gnn•r· nr 1:ourtsh 1p p1.wms. l..'at ull n.._
was w riting his own · mun ,,tgl:
130 / I-IowardD . Weinbrot
. of Po e' s in he ri ta nc e of re
rem~ds us h . p he ro es an tr ea t fr om pl ea su re in epic
d un re li ab le m al ev ol en t go Warfa
an .d its bu tc en ng ds, and both rt
ds d b es ' m· su ff ic ie nt ly co 11 d 1· I
go ' an ero nt ro e se xu ~ tty. t also re
ca the
.. oi nt s _ Po .
pe 's fi de ht y to t e es seh lls h, .
other maJOf P . . . . . nc e of the poelw,o
superceded oc ca si on, hi s desrre to JOIJl tw 'g hb . . Ills
Catholic families in m ar na ge . . . . o ne t ou rm g aristoc rat·
, ~ d- hi s ms1stence . at 1~ th -'-'- 1c
in their diminished world 1
r a~ the _comedy
, th :r r ht tl e ev en ts ha ve
and can improve upon H om se~1ous unphcatio~,
en c va lu es . W e fi nd su ch
notably in Clarissa and he r fr rmprovement mo~
iend th e na rr at or - ~ d no
·who maims infants, women t ~ the Amazon
, m en , an d th e bl en dm g
saw as the consequence of of virtues Addison
th e go od -h um ou re d w if e
marriage. Clarissa surpa~ses an d the balanced
th e et hi cs of Sa rp ed on w ho
have shown even less intere probably would
st in T ha le st ri s th an th e re
the Great. If Sarpedon so reac luctant Alexander
ted, he ag ai n w ou ld ha ve
to the other great. A le x~ de endeared himself
r w ho se co m m en t up on Pa
reconciliation in B oo k il l of ri s' and Helen's
th e Il ia d ep it om iz es hi s at
of the Lock: ~since both th titude in The Rape
e Se xe s ha ve th ei r Fr ai lti es
fo.r each _to forgive the ot he , it would be we ll
r' (T E V II , p. 21 8n ; fliad
, m, 1. 551).