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SATIRES OF ENGLISH ARISTOCRACY.
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Examines Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" & William Congreve's play "The Way of the World." Techniques used by both writers & comparison of depictions of women's lives.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Examines Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" & William Congreve's play "The Way of the World." Techniques used by both writers & comparison of depictions of women's lives.
Paper Introduction:
Both Alexander Pope's mock-epic poem "The Rape of the Lock" (1714) and William Congreve's play The Way of the World deal in a comic and satirical fashion with the manners and behavior of members of England's fashionable aristocracy. In both works the relations between the sexes -- centering ultimately around the institution of marriage -- are the focus of attention. But, because of the differences in societal expectations of men and women and the disparities of status and power, women act very differently from men. In this world women are to be pursued and to make themselves desirable in order to encourage such pursuit. But women must also protect their own interests -- both their reputations and their financial security -- as best they can. In this world men and women meet primarily in the important arena of courtship and marriage and, otherwise, lead largely separate
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But these same simple attitudes of the battle between the sexes aresatirized in the play as being largely a pretense of indifference towardmen in general. But, because of the differences in societal expectations of menand women and the disparities of status and power, women act verydifferently from men. But thepoem reduces relations between men and women to a simple us/them dichotomy. Inthe case of Belinda, the poem penetrates the sanctity of her private ritualas "unveil'd, the Toilet stands display'd" (44). New York: Penguin, 1985. This convention is satirized in Lady Wishfort's hilariouslyexaggerated account of her daughter's seclusion in which "she never lookeda man in the face but her own father, or the chaplain" whose gender,because of his long skirts and smooth face, they were able to conceal fromher until she was fifteen (87). The separate worlds of men and women are conveyed in both works. Works CitedCongreve, William. Thus, even though a woman, Clarissa, speaks the moral of thepoem, none of the other women pays the least attention to her. They meet as if on a battlefield -- a pointPope makes with the mock heroic arming of Belinda. In this world women are to be pursued and to makethemselves desirable in order to encourage such pursuit. In this world men and women meetprimarily in the important arena of courtship and marriage and, otherwise,lead largely separate lives. But Mrs. Marwood's expression ofcontempt and her desire to have a husband "ever to continue upon the rackof fear and jealousy" is also presented as a common form of behavior thatis deplored much as Belinda's complete absorption in her own beauty is seenas a lamentable way of living (27), There is, however, little comparison between the complexity of thecharacters in Pope's and Congreve's works. 17 . Women so oftenwere unable to secure their fortunes against their husbands and had toenter marriage without ever being entirely sure that they would be treatedfairly that they could easily develop a sense of common interest in themanagement of such affairs. The narrative voice in the poem solemnly assertsthat "If to her share some female errors fall, / Look on her face, andyou'll forget 'em all" (45). Alexander Pope: Selected Poems. In both works the relations between the sexes --centering ultimately around the institution of marriage -- are the focus ofattention. The artifice sheemploys, however, is not to be revealed to them and the entire process ofmaking Belinda ready for viewing is treated satirically as the "sacredrites Pride" (44). Inthe end Lady Wishfort is saved only because Mirabell had the sense to takeher proper place in arranging that Mrs. Fainall protect herself from herhusband's unreliable nature. Both works emphasize the importance of theseparate spheres in terms of keeping women apart from the temptations anddangers of male society until their guardians decide they are old enough tomarry. Marwood) indiscriminately. But Pope reserves special scorn for the women who occupy center-stage in his narrative. But, aside from meeting over questions of courtship, with which allthe meetings in these works are connected, the women in the play areacknowledged to have a need and desire to pursue their interests in aseparate forum. And the attitude of women toward men isreduced to the desirability of being married and an even greatercontentment when widowhood occurs; as demonstrated in the comic couplet,"Not louder shrieks to pitying heav'n are cast, / When husbands, or whenlap-dogs breathe their last" (54). The women have their cabals (shared only with the two half-men Witwoud and Petulant) and in the provisos scene Millamant demands thatshe be allowed to keep her tea table as a separate domain over which shehas control and Mirabell acknowledges the justice of this. In the play, of course, theseinterests are comically complicated by all the intrigues. The men, however, dismiss the women'sgatherings as inconsequential scenes of gossip -- but Fainall and Mirabelldo so in the midst of a scene that features as much gossip among men ascould be credited to the women. Once she is properly arrayed Belinda will dazzle menwho are foolish enough to be taken in by her mere physical beauty whileshe, and other women like her, are themselves as easily persuaded thatappearance is everything. And the women, accordingly, are not singledout for any greater blame than men for the state of affairs. In this instance, of course, there is also a divisionof personal interest between Marwood and Wishfort and the other women.Sexual jealousy is an active factor in the play and belies the claims ofwomen to be generally indifferent to men. Throughout the firstcanto of the poem there is a mocking sense of daring and an erotic tone tothe invasion of her room as she is described sleeping and dressing. There is also a sense that women need to pass information on to eachother -- from married women to unmarried and from generation to generationthey offer support in their stratagems to maintain control over as much oftheir lives and their economic security as possible. Pope largely concentrates on women's expected use ofphysical beauty to secure their interests -- and the deceptive, shallownature of such behavior -- while Congreve offers a picture of a society inwhich everyone schemes for advantage because the economic stakes are ofimmense importance. The Way of the World. Theirinterests and occupations are, however, as different from those of the menas are those of Belinda and her friends. There is, therefore, a sense of solidarity among women based on theircommon interests. Menare also culpable in responding to women's behavior but it is only womenwho seem to be ultimately incapable of learning from common-sensereasoning. But underneath the comedy is a genuine interest in the mores ofthis level of society. Congreve,on the other hand, makes the problem of establishing an equitable marriage(within the limitations of the period) based on affection and respect thecentral dilemma of his play. Lady Wishfort is acomic figure because she eagerly seeks love despite her advanced years.But, even more importantly, as a result of her desire to behave like ayoung woman she also fails the women of the next generation. Both Alexander Pope's mock-epic poem "The Rape of the Lock" (1714)and William Congreve's play The Way of the World deal in a comic andsatirical fashion with the manners and behavior of members of England'sfashionable aristocracy. These arehumorous ideas but they also point up the fact that women have interests incommon that are not shared with men. But the poem's simple scheme only has room for either/orcategories while the play shows the range of behaviors and eventuallyassigns the triumphant place to those women -- Millamant and Mrs. Fainall -- who judge men individually rather than those who love (Lady Wishfort) orhate (Mrs. In Pope's highly comic and sometimes ferociouslysatirical poem both men and women are shown to be frivolous, shallow, andimmoral. Congreve also mocks this female reliance on appearance in the personof Lady Wishfort who, even when most upset, cannot change expression forfear "her forehead would wrinkle like the coat of a cream-cheese" (92).But Congreve's play has a broader scope and the women's sphere is developedin several different ways. London: Nick Hern, 1995.Pope, Alexander. The authors touch on many ofthe same aspects of women's lives in fashionable society -- and deplore thesame faults. They are shown in the privacy of their dressingrooms and in confidential talks with each other and with their femaleservants, and they are described as holding their cabals in which they"come together like the coroner's inquest, to sit upon the murderedreputations of the week" (1 ). 39-64. They seem to receive the majority of the blame forplaying their part in the elaborate game of courtship and marriage. And in these battlesmoney is as important as love -- a point made by Millamant's and Mirabell'srefusal to simply marry and forego the half of her fortune that is underher aunt's control. The dialogue between Mrs. Fainall and Mrs. Marwood bringsout the artificiality of such poses in the expression of disgust with men,which the former assumes to mislead the latter and the latter claims to beher truest feeling. Millamant,her niece, is kept from her full inheritance by Lady Wishfort's spitefuljealousy toward Mirabell and she assumes the worst of her daughter, Mrs.Fainall, even though she herself was responsible for her upbringing. But women mustalso protect their own interests -- both their reputations and theirfinancial security -- as best they can. Thus "When bold Sir Plume had drawn Clarissa down, / Chloe stepp'd in, andkill'd him with a frown" (62). "The Rape of the Lock." 1714. In Pope's poem this solidarity is shown by Belinda'sfriends who rally around her in the battle to recover the lock. Butunderlying this is the ironic point that she dresses, after all, solely forthe approval of the men by whom she wishes to be pursued. In satirizing aristocratic society both writers exaggerate for comiceffect.
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