In the poem, the playing cards that Belinda, the Baron, and another gentleman use in their game of ombre symbolize the trivial nature of life at court. Pope describes the playing cards in the terms of an epic battle, where kings, queens, and nobles battle one another, accompanied by “particolour’d troops, a shining train, / Draw forth to combat on the velvet plain.” While epic heroes engaged in huge battles, where real kings, queens, and nobles’ lives would have been at stake, this trio of modern figures at court—Belinda, the Baron, and the other gentleman—only come as close to epic battle as a game of ombre, where the cards make for a silly substitute for the lives which might be lost in a real battle. By infusing the card game with mock-seriousness, Pope consequently suggests that life at court for Belinda and her peers is likewise empty, trivial, and mockable.
Playing Cards Quotes in The Rape of the Lock
Behold, four Kings in majesty revered,
With hoary whiskers and a forky beard;
And four fair Queens whose hands sustain a flower,
The expressive emblem of their softer power;
Four Knaves in garbs succinct, a trusty band,
Caps on their heads, and halberts in their hand;
And particolored troops, a shining train,
Draw forth to combat on the velvet plain.
Playing Cards Symbol Timeline in The Rape of the Lock
