Diana’s Law

In the second canto of The Rape of the Lock, the sexual allegory of the poem begins to come

into fuller view. The title of the poem already associates the cutting of Belinda’s hair with a

more explicit sexual conquest, and here Pope cultivates that suggestion. He multiplies his

sexually metaphorical language for the incident, adding words like “ravish” and “betray” to

the “rape” of the title. When Ariel speculates about the possible forms the “dire disaster”

might take, he includes a breach of chastity (“Diana’s law”), the breaking of china (another

allusion to the loss of virginity), and the staining of honor or a gown (the two

incommensurate events could happen equally easily and accidentally). Diana is the Roman

goddess of chastity and the moon. Therefore Diana’s Law implies that a maiden has to protect

her virginity for the sake of purity. In short, Diana’s law alludes to the law of chastity which

every maiden was required to maintain at any cost. This becomes significant when we see

that Ariel is wondering if Belinda might lose her virginity today. In the Sylphs’ defensive

efforts, Belinda’s petticoat is the battlefield that requires the most extensive fortifications.

This fact furthers the idea that the rape of the lock stands in for a literal rape, or at least

represents a threat to her chastity more serious than just the mere theft of a curl.
Use of ‘Chartered’ in London

William Blake's poem "London" is a comment on the quality of life in London, England

during the late eighteenth century. Blake's descriptive language sets the mood and gives the

reader a picture of London during this time period. Blake uses the repetition and double

meaning of words to call attention to the drastic condition of London and its citizens. In lines

one and two "I wander through each chartered street, Near where the chartered Thames does

flow," (23) the word chartered is repeated. By repeating this word, Blake forces the reader to

notice it and consider its implications. Chartered can have more than one meaning, thus it is

important to consider if this has something to do with the repetition of the word. Chartered

can refer to a grant or guarantee of rights or privileges and it can also mean a lease or contract

for the purposes of transportation. Here is the first example of a word that is repeated and has

double (and somewhat contrasting) meanings. Is Blake saying that the general population of

London has been guaranteed certain amount of freedom in the city, or have they merely been

given a more constrictive "lease" to certain privileges associated with citizenship? The first

use refers to the supremacy of industrial powers, namely business guilds in Blake’s time, over

natural or civic resources. The second use of ‘chartered’ projects Blake’s apprehension that

one day even natural resources like Thames will be chartered for commercial use and not

accessible to everyone. For Blake it was a mark of moral degeneration of humanity.