Critical Analysis of the "Rape of the Lock" by Pope

The destruction of the grand style of the epic is just what Pope was after in his mock epic, 'The Rape of the Lock.' Pope had no such universal goal, or moral pronouncements to make as did Milton. His purpose was merely to expose the life of the nobility of his time. While Milton chose blank verse to express the immensity of the landscape of his epic, Pope chose to utilize the heroic couplet …

…duality of human beings as an animal capable of reason, but an animal nevertheless. It is the internal human struggle that Pope wishes to address, and hopefully, bring to light. By using a satirical and cynical approach to address the values and ideas of a maladjusted society, along with a combination of such elements as sarcasm, wit, and humor, Pope complete a narrative worthy to be ranked amongst the greatest literary works of all time.