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A classic poem that contrasts the beauty and sadness of the sea with the loss of faith and hope in the modern world. Read the full text, analysis, and context of this Victorian masterpiece.
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Learn about the themes, symbols, and poetic devices of Matthew Arnold's famous poem "Dover Beach", which expresses a crisis of faith in the Victorian era. The poem contrasts the beauty and sadness of the sea with the darkness and confusion of the world.
- Summary
- Structure and Form
- Literary Devices
- Detailed Analysis
- About Matthew Arnold
- Similar Poetry
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‘Dover Beach‘ by Matthew Arnold(Bio | Poems) is a dramatic monologuelamenting the loss of true Christian faith in England during the mid-1800s as science captured the minds of the public. The poet’s speaker, considered to be Matthew Arnold(Bio | Poems)himself, begins by describing a calm and quiet sea out in the English Channel. He stands on the Do...
‘Dover Beach’ is made up of four stanzas containing a variable number of lines. They range in length from fourteen to six lines in length. There is no consistent rhyme scheme, but there are several random end rhymes such as “-and” and “-ay” throughout the poem and written in irregular iambic pentameter.
Throughout this poem, the poet makes use of several literary devices. These include but are not limited to: 1. Alliteration: the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of multiple words. For example, “lie,” “like,” and “land” in stanzafour. 2. Allusion: a reference to something outside the scope of the poem. In this case, the poet ...
Stanza One
Arnold begins ‘Dover Beach’ by describing the settingin which it is taking place. It is clear from the title, although never explicitly stated in the poem, that the beach in question is Dover, on the coast of England. The sea is said to be calm; there is a beach on the water at full tide. The moon “lies fair,” lovely, “upon the straits” (a strait is a narrow passage of water such as the English Channel onto which Dover Beach abuts). Although it is useful to imagine the speaker in a particular...
Stanza Two
The second stanza is much shorter and relates to the world in which the two characters are in the larger picture of history. The speaker states that “long ago,” Sophocles heard this sound on the Ægean sea as the tides came in. It, too, brought to his mind the feelings of “human misery” and how these emotions “ebb and flow.” Sophocles, who penned the play Antigone, is one of the best-known dramatic writers of Ancient Greece. Arnold hopes to bring to the reader’s attention the universal experie...
Stanza Three
In the third stanza of ‘Dover Beach,’it becomes clear that Arnold is speaking about the diminishing faith of his countrymen and women. He describes how “The Sea of Faith” once covered all of the “round earth’s shore” and held everyone together like a girdle. Now though, this time has passed. No longer is the populous united by a common Christian faith in God by, as Arnold sees it, spread apart by new sciences and conflicting opinions. The comparison that he has been crafting between the drawi...
Matthew Arnold(Bio | Poems), poet and essayist, was born in Laleham, Middlesex, in 1822 and was quickly recognized for his talent. He completed an undergraduate degree at Balliol College, Oxford University, after which he taught Classics at Rugby School. Arnold would then work for thirty-five years as a government school inspector, during which tim...
Readers who enjoyed this piece should also consider exploring some other Matthew Arnold poems. For example: 1. ‘Buried Life‘ – is a monologue through which a distressed speaker analyzes his complicated feelings about his own inner life. 2. ‘Growing Old‘ – is about the reality of aging and how one’s youthful expectations will not be fulfilled as one...
A dramatic monologue lamenting the loss of true Christian faith in England during the mid-1800s as science captured the minds of the public. The poem uses the image of the sea receding and returning to land to symbolize the decline of faith and the sense of uncertainty and melancholy in the modern world.
- Female
- October 9, 1995
- Poetry Analyst And Editor
Dover Beach. " Dover Beach " is a lyric poem by the English poet Matthew Arnold. [1] It was first published in 1867 in the collection New Poems; however, surviving notes indicate its composition may have begun as early as 1849. The most likely date is 1851.
A classic poem that reflects on the sea, the moon, and the loss of faith in the modern world. Listen to the audio, read the full text, and explore the context and analysis of this masterpiece.
First published in 1867, “Dover Beach” is a lyric poem by the English poet Matthew Arnold. It is likely that Arnold wrote the poem between 1849 and 1851.
Learn about the poem "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold, a lyric poem inspired by his honeymoon at the Strait of Dover. Find a summary, analysis, speaker, and quotes from the poem.
