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Who is Belinda in The Rape of the Lock?
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Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope, portrait by Thomas Hudson, c. 1739; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
In Alexander Pope's mock-epic poem The Rape of the Lock, Belinda is the heroine whose lock of hair is stolen by an ardent young man.12
The poem was written to reconcile two families following this actual incident, which Pope elevated to the status of a grand conflict comparable to the quarrel between the Greeks and the Trojans. Belinda serves as the central figure in this glittering, satirical depiction of contemporary society, where Pope balances ridicule of the characters' trivial values with genuine admiration and affection for his heroine.12