When it comes to reading poetry, I usually have a more difficult time analyzing themes and connections. However, this poem had some imagery that clearly let me know what was happening, or at least who was the focus. Nevertheless, I am most interested in the obsession of the Baron to Belinda.
"Th' advent'rous Baron the bright locks admir'd;
He saw, he wish'd, and to the prize aspir'd.
Resolv'd to win, he meditates the way,
By force to ravish, or by fraud betray..." Lines (29-32)
To admire a woman's hair and find it beautiful is sweet, but it would suffice to simply tell her that. Stealing someone's hair is too obsessive. What kind of person, let alone a nobleman, meditates over how he can steal a woman's hair? Even worse, it clearly says that he decided that both force or betrayal are perfectly acceptable means of acquiring Belinda's locks of hair.
"But chiefly Love — to Love an Altar built,
Of twelve vast French Romances, neatly gilt.
There lay three garters, half a pair of gloves;
And all the trophies of his former loves;
With tender Billet-doux he lights the pyre,
And breathes three am'rous sighs to raise the fire..." (Lines 37-42)
Of course, he also built an altar. My first thought was that this Baron needed to find something to do with this time. This satire is absurd, but much more tragic than the works we have read so far. I find it to be because his admiration of her beauty is ultimately a lust that has overtaken his thoughts. I argue that Voltaire's Candide is hilarious, Moliere's Tartuffe is worth acting out in a play, and Goethe's Faust is worthy of multiple reads. The satire in all of these plays were manifested through silly failures and shortcomings. They were either too crazy to be true or showed people clearly lacking logic. The Baron troubles me so much because he is a slave to his lust. This is a realistic result of a desire that everyone can be exposed to. I haven't struggled with lust or obsession on this level, but it leaves a sour taste in my mouth knowing that this hilarious fault of the Baron manifests itself in very real, though less obvious manners in our everyday life. Needless to say I enjoyed how Pope elevated the beauty of this woman to the point that I couldn't take him seriously. Without even talking about the Baron's actions taken to clip her hair, he already gives me an eerie feeling whenever I try to imagine him. He is anything but subtle and I picture his desires to overpower any possible ounce of charisma found in his being. But according to how elegantly Pope described Belinda, would anyone say that the Baron is, not necessarily justified, but understood as to why he went to such bizarre lengths to steal her hair?
I commented on the posts of Caroline and Jamie.
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