Dover beach summary. A Short Analysis of Matthew Arnoldâs âDover Beachâ 2022-12-15
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Dover Beach is a poem by Matthew Arnold that was first published in 1867. It is a contemplative and melancholic work that reflects on the fleeting nature of life and the ways in which humanity grapples with the mysteries and uncertainties of the world.
The poem is set on the coast of Dover, a town on the southeastern coast of England. The speaker of the poem stands on the beach and looks out at the sea, which is described as a "tremulous sea of faith" that is constantly shifting and changing. The speaker laments the loss of faith and belief in the world and the way that science and reason have replaced traditional values and beliefs.
As the speaker watches the sea, they see the "eternal note of sadness" that is inherent in the natural world, and they are filled with a sense of despair and hopelessness. The poem ends with the speaker urging the person they are with to "love thy life, lest thou forget to live." This final line serves as a reminder to embrace life and the present moment, despite the difficulties and uncertainties that may come our way.
Throughout the poem, Arnold uses vivid and evocative language to convey the mood and themes of the work. The sea is described as a "grating roar" and a "numb, naked shingle" that is "darkling" and "drearily." These descriptions convey the sense of isolation and desolation that the speaker feels as they stand on the beach, looking out at the vast and unforgiving sea.
In summary, Dover Beach is a poignant and thought-provoking poem that explores the theme of the human search for meaning and understanding in a world that is constantly changing and often seems to lack meaning. It encourages us to embrace life and find meaning in the present moment, even in the face of uncertainty and despair.
Dover Beach Matthew Arnold Poems Summary & Analysis
The tone of the poem now changes from cheerful to melancholy. What natural beauty reminds us of is human misery. A rapid progress in the natural sciences based on the works of Darwin , Lamarck and Lyell among others have displaced the authority of the Biblical God. This type of dual experience between the celebration and lament for humanity is often possible for Arnold. Ironically, the tumult of nature is nothing compared to the tumult of this era of life. The poem starts with a hopeful tone but by the end of the poem, in its last stanza, it unveils the harshness of the world.
Matthew Arnold: Poems âDover Beachâ (1867) Summary and Analysis
The tide is full, the moon lies fair Upon the straights; on the French coast the light Gleams and is gone; This literary device is known as anaphora and it helps in drawing the reader quite like the waves towards the imagery of the sea. The poem calls for romantic alliance in the face of a chaotic world. The only example of perfectly regular meter repeated across two lines comes in the fourth and final stanza. The speaker calls his love to the window to take in the fresh air and watch the water splash as it comes into contact with the shore. Arnold is the speaker speaking to someone he loves. But, obviously, the rhyme scheme does not comply. The peaceful calm of the poem's opening images has disappeared over the course of the poem, leaving only the violence of armies fighting in the dark.
He trades visual Imagery for aural imagery. In the sweetness of the night air, the narrator implores his lover to bear witness to the sound of the shore. When the light over in France suddenly extinguishes, the speaker focuses on the English side, which remains tranquil. These wave-like pulsations come and go in the poem's lines for example, lines 11â12 and 26â27 , reminding readers of the rhythm of the water. The poet imagines that Sophocles, the famous Greek tragedian must have experienced the same melancholy feeling when he stood on the shore, looking on the Aegean sea. Even though the speaker worries about the impending darkness, he seems to expect adaptation however difficult.
The Sea of Faith which had provided coherence to human existence and had provided meaning to the life of many, which had held the world together like a bright girdle had now become fraught with doubt. In stark contrast to the opening image and rhythm are the image and rhythm of the final stanza. It represents the clash between science and religion. Stanza 3 The speaker likens the sound of waves pulling back from shore to the "melancholy. The world around them is dreamlikeâexciting, yes, but also unpredictable. The second stanza flashes back to ancient Greece, where Sophocles heard this same sound on the Aegean Sea.
However, that decline is here painted as particularly uncertain, dark, and volatile. This sight of the recession of the waves reminds the poet of the withdrawal of religious faith from the world and the consequent inroad of doubt. Conversely , this is also the most that can be made of a world where the long established truths around which life once revolved has come undone. The poem epitomizesĂ a particularĂ sort ofĂ poetic experience,Ă during whichĂ the poet focuses onĂ oneĂ momentĂ to getĂ profound depths. The transitional nature of the beach, therefore, makes the speaker think more deeply about faith, change, loss, and love. The themes of Science and Religion, Faith and Doubt and the role of Culture in providing a sense of stability in times of chaos finds its resonance in most of his works, including his poetry. Arnold makes use of a caesura due to which the rhythm of the stanza mimics the movement of the sea waves.
It suggests that the human condition is an enduring reality that has always remained unchanged. The poem, built on this contrast, also laments violence. There is an ebb in the Sea of Faith at the moment and everything has retreated to darkness of the night-wind. The poem, "Dover Beach" is such a perfect portrait of the Victorian era but the poet seems lost and lonely in his situation, unable to converse with the human being next to him. He compares the world to a battlefield. The setting is inside a room, may be a hotel, on the coast of the English Channel near the English town Dover. This love is enduring and grounding, and it is enough to withstand a world that is rapidly shifting around the speaker.
Matthew Arnoldâs Dover Beach: Summary & Analysis
The second date is today's date â the date you are citing the material. As the sea withdraws, like a retreating wave or the sea at low tide, so does humanity's faith. In lines 1-6 he is talking about a very peaceful night on the ever so calm sea, with the moonlight shining so intensely on the land. It seems this is no longer the case: the speaker can only witness the sadness and retreat of this expansiveness. Notes: Sophocles 405-495 B. With this interruption, any sense of metrical regularity falls apart. Dover Beach Analysis, Stanza 2 Sophocles long ago Heard it on the Aegean, and it brought Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow Of human misery; we Find also in the sound a thought, Hearing it by this distant Northern Sea.
A Short Analysis of Matthew Arnoldâs âDover Beachâ
The last date is today's date â the date you are citing the material. But now I only hear Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar, Retreating, to the breath Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear And naked shingles of the world. The poem begins with a straightforward description of nature and the speaker calling his beloved to see the beautiful sea and to hear the sound of the waves. Faith covered the earth like the folds of a bright girdle folding furled well. The poet speaker stands on the cliffs of Dover Beach. Confided by the darkness and the utter chaos which surrounded them, the army ended up killing each other.
But then, after the long dash, the iambic rhythm falters. Now it retreats from shore, leaving the edges of the world bare. Ah, love, let us be true To one another! Thus the poem so wonderfully straddles the line between the poetic reflection and uncertainty. In the final stanza, the speaker directly addresses his beloved who is sitting next to him. The note is sad.
What also makes the poem particularly powerful is that his romantic streak has almost no tinge of the religious. It begins with mostly visual depictions, describing the calm sea, the fair moon, and the lights in France across the Channel. Analysis Imagery and Pace: A Calm Beginning, a Violent Conclusion The poem begins calmly, with the line "The sea is calm tonight. Advertisements The sound of the waves begins and stops, and again begins. Throughout the whole poem, Arnold uses a metaphor to describe his views and opinions.
