One of the characteristics of a classic epic poem is a noble and courageous hero or heroine. How does Pope employ this characteristic in his mock epic poem?



Answer :

What Pope does in his mock epic poem is exaggerate things and present them as if they were serious and important. His noble characters are anything but noble, but their flaws are presented as if they're something courageous and noble and the event itself is presented as if it's an international disaster, and not just a piece of hair that's been cut off.

I had this question on Oddyssey! This is what I wrote:


    The Baron belongs to a noble family by birth. He is courageous because he fights hard to get Belinda's lock of hair. This is The Baron's cause. Before he achieves his aim ,he has to do some ritual work. First, he has to get the power from the Gods. He sacrificies  some presents he got from his ex-lovers. As a result, the Gods give him little power. Any hero would sacrifice himself for the sake of others. Finally, the Baron can clip the lock from Belinda's hair while they are at a party in a palace. The Baron has got some help from "his lady, Clarissa" to do so, she has got the scissors. He has also won the battle against Belinda's sylphs after he has tried three times to cut Belinda's hair. What Pope does in his mock epic poem is exaggerate things and present them as if they were serious and important. His noble characters are anything but noble, but their flaws are presented as if they're something courageous and noble and the event itself is presented as if it's an international disaster, and not just a piece of hair that's been cut off.