The battle field

I thought it was really interesting that the card game was depicted as a battle. So, of course, my mind went immediately to Beowulf for a comparison. From lines 133-170 of The Rape of the Lock, I'm reminded of Beowulf's fight with Grendel, although I associate the Baron with Beowulf and Belinda with Grendel. Grendel arrives at Heorot and sees a buffet ready for him. He's focused on his own gluttony just as Belinda is focused on her card game. Neither character is expecting that anything terrible could happen to them. Line 153-4 "The meeting points the sacred hair dissever/From the fair head, forever and forever" reminds me of when Beowulf rips off Grendels arm. The first similarity I saw between the two was in the reaction of each character's loss. Line 155-7 "Then flashed the living lightning from her eyes,/And screams of horror rend th' affrighted skies."/Not louder shrieks to pitying Heav'n are cast" I can't find my book to give you lines from Beowulf, but I seem to remember something about shrieks from Grendel. Then the Baron begins to boast "The prize is mine! (line 162)" just as Beowulf hung Grendel's arm from the ceiling as a trophy. In line 170, he even says, "So long my honor, name, and praise shall live!", which is the general idea with everything that Beowulf does.