Renaissance

Both William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope mocked the times in which they lived in their respective works of literature: The Tempest and The Rape of the Lock. In using elements of the supernatural and pagan universes, these two authors make fun of Church authority, which was in decline during the Renaissance. Shakespeare and Pope portrayed monarchic power in a favorable light relative to their portrayal of the Church. In both The Tempest and in Rape of the Lock, supernatural beings influence royalty. Church authority is depicted as being weak and ineffective because of the inclusion of pagan elements. For example, in The Tempest, Prospero is the exiled Duke of Milan. Stranded on an island, he turns not to the divine authority of the Church but rather to occult powers: he manages to control and enslave a spirit-being named Ariel. Similarly, Belinda in The Rape of the Lock has a spirit familiar named Ariel. The Baron, in an act resembling witchcraft, steals a lock of Belinda's hair. Pope's story directly derides Church authority by portraying the supernatural more than the Christian God.

Therefore, the main way Alexander Pope illustrates the shifting social climate during the Renaissance is through his mockery of the Church. As Church power declined overtly, the rise of monarchs, those endowed with superhuman if not supernatural properties, began. These authorities, while shown to be flawed heroes, are nevertheless benevolent. For example, Prospero used unscrupulous means to maintain his power on the island: by enslaving Ariel and creating the tempest. However, he redeems himself in the end by releasing his slave and resolving to be a decent leader. Ferdinand is likewise portrayed in a positive manner. By showing persons with royal blood in a favorable light, and by showing them as deriving a significant amount of power from supernatural rather than Church theology, Shakespeare comments on the decline of the Catholic Church during the Renaissance.