When poets refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.
Literary and Philosophical References
As you might have noticed, Pope has hundreds of indirect references, imagery, and allusions borrowed from classical epics like the Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid—that's what makes this piece neoclassical after all. Here, we're only pointing out some of the more direct ones. If you can hunt out more, go for it.
- Homer, Iliad (I.101, II.117–122, III.37, IV.51)
- Homer, Odyssey (IV.82)
- Delariviere Manley, The New Atalantis (III.165)
- Virgil, Aeneid (IV.56, V.5–6,
- Shakespeare, Othello (V.105)
- Callimachus (V.129)
Historical References
- John Caryll (I.3)
- Ombre (I.56, III.27)
- Lu (or Loo) (III.62)
- The River Thames (II.
- Hampton Court (III.4, IV.96, IV.150)
- Queen Anne of England (III.7)
- Hyde Park (IV.117)
- The River Meander (V.65)
- Rosamonda's Lake in St. James's Park (V.136)
- Galileo (V.138)
- John Partridge (V.137)