Traditionally, writers of epic poems would invoke the Muses, ancient goddesses who protected the arts. Pope, however, invokes the name of his friend John Caryll, ('Caryl' in the poem) who encouraged him to write The Rape of the Lock. Caryll's relative Robert, Lord Petre, caused something of a scandal when he stole a lock of Miss Arabella Fermor's hair. Caryll saw the funny side of the story and thought it would be an excellent idea for Pope to use his remarkable literary talents to write a humorous poem on the incident. The families concerned were at loggerheads over the issue; they obviously regarded it as a matter of honor. Caryll wanted them to see how ridiculous they were being and so enlisted Pope's assistance in making them realize the sheer pointlessness and triviality of the whole affair.
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