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Canto 2 lines 1-46 (sanctification of sex and lust (playing into the epic…
Canto 2 lines 1-46
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importance of surface signifiers to her identity, 'with shining ringlets her smooth ivory neck'
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the lock is a metonymic substitution for Belinda's 'honour' or chastity, as there are distinctly sexual tones to the Baron's desire
'Resolved to win, he meditates the way, / By force to ravish, or by fraud betray' ravish distinctly connotes rape of the body, therefore he is applying sexually violent and trangressive actions upon her, all for a 'prize' quantifying a part of her body in terms of attainment
more about the result, he is socially stereotyped as a trophy collector, a man who can be easily manipulated but is fixated on the material possession of materiality.
objects as conquests, 'There lay three garters, half a pair of gloves' more about what the objects say about the individual
false sanctification of objects and religion more as a series of signifiers as opposed to moral value
'On her white breast a sparkling cross she wore, / Which Jews might kiss and infidels adore. In this way, she is itemised- the 'sparkling' adds a degree of excess to a supposedly religious artefact. Deceptive visual religious iconography. Deceptive artifice, ornamental rather than religious.
the superficial games of the coquette - navigating a dextrous boundary between attracting enough attention or being overtly seductive, 'Favors to none, to all she smiles extends' therefore she has to display her appearance to exert her power over men whilst keeping her honour intact. 'They shine on all alike' also suggesting a certain level of accountability for her rape, because she is giving her favour to all the men there.
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