The Rape of the Lock

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How Did Belinda Win the Game of Ombre in Hampton Court?

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How did Belinda win the game of Ombre at Hampton Court?

In Canto 3 of “The Rape of the Lock” (1712), Belinda plays a card game called Ombre. She plays it with two men at Hampton Court. Pope (1688-1712) shows the game like a big battle. Cards act like soldiers, and Belinda is the leader of her army. Let us see how she wins this clever and funny fight.

Cards Like Soldiers: The game is shown as a war. The cards are not just cards. They are like kings, queens, and soldiers. Belinda chooses spades as the trump suit. That means spade cards will beat others. This scene makes fun of real wars. Here, war is only a game on a table. But Pope uses big, heroic words to make it sound grand.

Strong Start with Trump Cards: At first, Belinda plays very well. She uses her best trump cards. Her “Spadillo” beats two cards at once. Her “

Manillo” also wins. Even her “Basto” card wins some points. She leads the game with power and style. The Sylphs, her fairy protectors, also help her. Let us see this below.

“Soon as she spreads her hand, th' aërial guard

Descend, and sit on each important card:”

Baron Takes The Lead: Then the Baron starts to win. His Queen of Spades beats Belinda’s King of Clubs. He plays more high cards. He even wins her Queen of Hearts. Belinda feels she may lose. But she keeps playing calmly. In the final round, she plays her King of Hearts. That card saves her. She wins the game at last.

In the end, Belinda wins the game with clever moves and strong cards. She gets help from the Sylphs and keeps calm under pressure. Pope makes the game look like a grand war, but it is only a card game. 

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Alexander Pope
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