shall live! (III, 161-170)The Baron has taken away Belinda's power. He cuts from her a symbol of her beauty, stealing what she regards as her honour. This disempowerment is not unlike an actual rape. Chastity is regarded as honour for many men and women, yet Belinda values her lock of hair as her source of honour. Hence, the Baron takes away her virtue. Belinda is reproached by an older woman of the court, who has lost her own beauty and advises Belinda to rely on inner grace, " Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul." (V, 34) Yet, "no applause ensued." (V, 35) While the comment strikes a stinging chord with Belinda, the court does not find merit in the idea that a woman's inner values are important. Clarissa, the dame, sounds a little feminist for her time. The idea that the woman's beauty existed in character was not yet a popular notion. Still, Belinda is belittled by Clarissa. She attacks Belinda's sense of worth as a woman by not accepting the Baron's trick with more grace. If the Baron's ego hadn't been inflated enough by claiming Belinda's lock, Clarissa only confirms the Baron's (and Belinda's) misguided values by attacking Belinda's inner beauty, in essence, her value system (morals) as well. Belinda has been insulted twice in the course of the action.Pope writes of a world whose value system is confused. Clarissa almost takes on the role of Pope when she admonishes Belinda for her lack of elegance and sense of humour. The Baron throughout seems intent on not winning Belinda's favour but on claiming her honour, the prized lock of hair. This is a rather twisted goal. The 'civilized' thing to do would to have honourably courted Belinda. Instead, the Baron is only interested in the fame the claiming of the lock will bring. It's another trophy of another conquest:...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. ...
