Which game does Belinda play in the 'Hampton Court'?

Correct option is D

In Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock, Belinda plays Ombre at Hampton Court.

Ombre was a popular card game in the 17th and 18th centuries, played with three players and requiring strategic thinking.

In the poem, the game is used as a setting for the frivolous aristocratic life that Pope satirizes, contrasting the trivial pursuits of the characters with the epic nature of the poem’s tone.

Information Booster:

Alexander Pope (1688–1744) was a famous English poet, known for his satirical verse and his use of heroic couplets.

The Rape of the Lock (1712) is one of his major works, a mock-epic that humorously exaggerates the importance of a trivial social incident: the cutting off of a lock of hair from Belinda, a young woman.

The poem is a critique of vanity, social customs, and the ridiculousness of aristocratic behavior during the early 18th century.

he Rape of the Lock:

The Rape of the Lock narrates a mock-epic battle over the cutting of Belinda’s lock of hair by Baron.

Pope uses grandiose language and epic conventions to satirize a trivial event.

The poem’s use of the card game Ombre in the Hampton Court scene provides an ironic touch, as the characters engage in a serious game while the frivolous events of the poem unfold.

Additional Knowledge:

Carrom: Carrom is a game that originated in India, far removed from the social context of the poem and was not played in the 18th century.

Golf: Golf, while a popular sport today, was not the game played by Belinda in The Rape of the Lock. The poem uses Ombre to emphasize the fashionable leisure activities of the time.

Chess: While chess is a game of strategy, it does not appear in this poem. The game played in Hampton Court is Ombre, which was popular in the aristocratic circles of the period.