Dover Beach
By Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold was one of the leading poets of the Victorian era, alongside Alfred
Lord Tennyson and Robert Browning. However, he was the most religious and pessimistic of
the three, largely due to the troubling consequences of his time, which he explored in his
poetry. The changes brought by industrialization, scientific discoveries, and shifting values
led Arnold to express a deep sense of loss and uncertainty. His concerns are clearly reflected
in Dover Beach, one of his most significant works, where he addresses the decline of faith
and the existential crisis of the Victorian period.
“The sea is calm tonight.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!”
It is believed that he wrote his poem “Dover Beach” after his marriage with Frances Lucy
Wightman at their honeymoon. The first six lines filled with romanticism by poet where his
tone is cheerful and it is like there is nothing to worry about rather than this night of love with
his beloved. These first six lines he explains how the night was and the beauty of Dover
beach from where the coastal lights of France can be seen moreover the tranquil bay and the
cliffs of England. Next six lines and the rest are totally different from these lines. That shows
the sad truth about the world:
“Listen! You here the granting roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,”
Poet says the night is so mesmerising but “grating roar” the sound of sea rocks trembling with
each other when they return to “high strand” because of the waves and creates the never-
ending noise. This noise makes poem sad because it symbolizes the "eternal note of sadness"
in human life. The repetitive motion of the waves beginning, ceasing, and starting again
mirrors the cycle of human suffering and struggles. This natural sound reminds the poet of
the never-ending nature of sorrow and the fragility of human existence, evoking a
melancholic reflection on life's challenges. This can be seen in the poem's melancholic tone
and reflection on human suffering. The poet's focus on the "eternal note of sadness" reflects a
loss of spiritual certainty and the growing realization of life's struggles without the
comforting stability of traditional beliefs. The repetitive motion of the waves could symbolize
the relentless progression of time and societal change, which brought both progress and
alienation during the Victorian Age. This duality captures the era's emotional and intellectual
challenges, particularly the tension between faith, science, and modernity. When the world
divided into two parts one who believes in religious and believes in God and one who has
become an aficionado of science moreover lost the faith is God.
“Sophocles long ago/ Heard it on the Ægean, and it brought”. Sophocles is one of the
three Greak tragedians along with Aeschylus, and Euripides. Matthew Arnold was heavily
inspired by them because of his father’s influence. Poet thinks Sophocles thinks the same
about “eternal note of sadness” because Sophocles lives in Athens and Aegean Sea is close to
Athens. Because of these circumstances poet compare his thoughts with Sophocles a
playwright from past. He tried to prove that these consequences are not new these are here
from way back in time. Inventions are happening all the time but there is no need to lose faith
in God which, we believe in, which helps us in the hardest situations.
The third stanza begins with more melancholic tone and the how much he is
disappointed about his era. In this stanza Arnold uses the metaphor of the "Sea of Faith" to
portray the profound consequences of the Victorian Age, a period defined by rapid scientific
advancements, industrialization, and societal transformation. The "Sea of Faith," once full
and encompassing, represents a time when spiritual beliefs unified humanity, offering
comfort and purpose. However, its "melancholy, long, withdrawing roar" reflects the era's
crisis of faith, as traditional religious convictions were undermined by new scientific theories
like Darwin's evolution and the industrial revolution's material focus. Arnold describes this
retreat as leaving behind the "naked shingles of the world," evoking a sense of exposure,
desolation, and vulnerability in a world stripped of its spiritual protection. The imagery of the
sea retreating to the "vast edges drear" mirrors the alienation and existential despair
experienced by individuals grappling with a loss of certainty. Arnold’s lament captures the
tension between progress and disconnection, portraying the Victorian Age as a time of
intellectual brilliance but profound emotional and spiritual loss.
In “Dover Beach” the criticism of life forms the centre of the theme. He diagnoses the
malady and disease of the Victorian life and finds faithlessness as the root cause. Lack of
religious faith has brought in its train all sorts of distrust, callousness to morality,
irresponsible attitude to relationships between human beings. There is no firm ground under
the feet of man he is constantly plagued by uncertainty and fear in Arnold’s critical view the
world has turned into a deceptive planet where appearances cannot be trusted. It loos like “a
land of dreams/So various, so beautiful, so new” but probed deeply it reveals a horrifying
hollowness, such as Eliot sketches in the “Preludes” and later elaborates so memorably in
“The Waste Land”. Under Arnold’s critical scrutiny, the world
“Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light.
Nor certitude nor peace, nor help for pain.”
Not only that he compares the world to a dark nocturnal battlefield where a maddening
alarm rings continually and men are struggling and running for the frae of life, ironically even
from a friend by mistaking him for a foe. The criticism dose contains a big dose of pity and
irony.
The noise of waves on see-shore on a moonlit night its ‘tremulous cadence slow’
bringing in ‘the eternal note of sadness’ is more entrancing and significant for our having red
Arnold’s “Dover Beach”. Life is capricious, treating one man generously, another, for no
apparent reason, with persistent cruelty. for the man to whom life is an affliction to read and
absorb, to bath in the melancholy waters of poems like “Dover Beach”, “Isolation and the
Grand Chartreuse”, must be a sovereign salve, like unburdening the heart to a wise and
sympathetic confessor.
“Dover Beach” reflects the uncertainties and existential struggles of the Victorian era.
The poem addresses the decline of faith, a significant consequence of rapid industrialization,
scientific advancements, and shifting societal values during the period. Arnold's melancholic
tone and imagery highlight the sense of alienation and loss experienced by many Victorians
as traditional beliefs were challenged. The poem encapsulates the emotional turmoil of the
time, exploring themes of doubt, spiritual crisis, and the tension between faith and science,
making it a powerful reflection of the era's key concerns.
REFERENCES
1. “Dover Beach.” The Poetry Foundation, 22 June 2024,
www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43588/dover-beach.
2. Mukherjee, Monami. “Dover Beach as a Victorian Poem.” NibblePop, 30 Nov. 2024,
nibblepop.com/dover-beach-arnold-as-a-victorian-poet.
3. Miller, Lois T. “The Eternal Note of Sadness: An Analysis of Matthew Arnold’s
‘Dover Beach.’” The English Journal, vol. 54, no. 5, 1965, pp. 447–48. JSTOR,
https://doi.org/10.2307/811251. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.
4. Bhattacharya, Arunodoy. Studies in Some Victorian and Modern Poems. 2nd ed.,
Books Way, Kolkata.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
In preparing this assignment, and completing it successfully I had to get help and
guidance form some respected people. I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to make
this project, which has enhanced my knowledge in so any aspects.
I would like to show my gratitude to my respected professor ( ) and the head of the
department ( ) for giving me great guidance. I wish to extend my special thanks to my
friends and family who have always been supportive and guided me throughout these
assaingment.
