Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold... summary
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| Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold |
The popular poem "Dover Beach" is a famous lyric poem. It is written by the Famous English poet Matthew Arnold. It was published in 1867 in the "New Poem." This poem has an autobiographical note in it. It is an elegy giving expression to the poet's own sadness and problems in life. The poet expresses here his own doubts related to life. He saw miseries and pains of people in this world. He has given expression to his own doubts and disbelieves in the poem. He found relief in true love only. The poem Dover Beach is an excellent work of Matthew Arnold. It is an elegy expressing the misery and sorrows of human beings. An elegy is a poem expressing sorrow on something. It is judged by its theme or subject matter and not by its meter or stanza form.
Analysis
In this poem, the poet expresses his deep sorrow for human beings In this world. Only love can give relief to human beings from their suffering. There is everywhere sorrow in the world. Nature also suffers from this misery. This poem is set near Dover, along with the Southeast coast of England. It is said that Arnold and his wife spent their honeymoon here in 1851.
In this poem, the poet is standing alone on the beach at Dover. It is the night time. The moon is shining brightly in the sky. The rise and fall of the sea are on full swings. It is not a dark night. It is a full moon night. Everything is visible in the moonlight. The white steeps rocks, huge and big are dimly visible in the moonlight. The sand on the beach is also looking wight due to moonlight falling on it. And the moonlight is also falling on the narrow passages of sea water. The poet says that there is a silence in the atmosphere at night. There is a serious calmness everywhere in the atmosphere. The poet thinks that there is everything seeming beautiful outside but inside there are many problems and sorrows. Even nature is also suffering from the loneliness and sorrows.
There is everyone looking calm outside but in reality, they have a great pain inside. It is really very painful for the people and the world. Here poet request Marguerite or miss Wightman to come to the window to view the beauty of the beach. The moonlight is scattering everywhere on the beach.
So the poet requests his wife to see this beauty. The air is full of fragrance blowing at night. The scene of the beach is really looking very pleasant. Every object of nature is calm and quiet. But only a harsh and rough sound is coming from the sea. Because it caused by the rise and fall of the sea waves. This harsh sound is created by the rise and fall of the sea waves. and It disturbs the peace of the beach. This harsh sound symbolizes internal sadness of the human beings in the world.
The thrilling sound is echoed by the pebbles. In other words, this world is full of miseries and sorrow. Everybody is disturbed internally but look fine outside. The sound of the grating pebbles is the symbol of sighs and grief of human beings. Here the poet expresses his feelings that here the atmosphere is very calm and beautiful but a harsh voice of falling pebbles is disturbing the atmosphere. Like this, the world is also full of beauty and comfort outside but If you look internally there are many problems in the life of human beings.
The voice coming from the rise and fall of the pebbles is the symbol of the human miseries hidden in the in the soul of the people. In fact, nature is also suffering from this misery inside and express his sorrow through this harsh voice. Thus the life of human beings is full of sorrow and happiness.
Now poet thinks about a great Greek tragedian, named Sophocles, the poet further says that Sophocles was also once inspired by the Aegean sea to think over the miseries of human life. It indicates that the sea has ever been a source of inspiration to the philosophers to think over the problems of human beings.
Now the poet observes the calmness of the atmosphere and also the harsh sound coming from the pebbles. the poet says that the sound caused by the waves striking against the pebbles is still a great source of inspiration. It symbolizes the miseries of the people in this world. There is no happiness in this world. Even the objects of nature are sufferings from loneliness and miseries. The poet again says that only human beings seem to be sad but also the objects of nature seem full of sorrow.
The elegiac note is remarkable in the poem Dover Beach. and poet observes that the life is full of pain and sufferings. The man never enjoys it. A man works hard but he cannot get true happiness out of it. Happiness is an internal feeling of human beings. It cannot be got from outside worldly objects.
Now the poet compares faith to the sea. The poet further says that there was a time when faith played an important role in this world. Just as sea acts as a circle around the earth. Faith also dominated the hearts of all human beings on the earth. But now It has faded from the hearts of people because of growing doubts and disbelieving. Now It is departing itself from the world and is producing miseries in the world.
The poet again points out that there was a time when there was faith in the heart of everyone but now It has departed itself. And in place of faith doubts has taken place in the heart of human beings Now people have no faith in others. Asceticism and doubts have taken place of faith. There is no harmony among them. Therefore people are not happy even lonely in this crowded place.
The poet addresses his beloved saying that this world is full of sorrow. Love is like a light in the darkness of sorrows and miseries. The poet points out that this world seems very charming and attractive extremely but internally It does not give joy and happiness to the people. It offers nothing that can give permanent joy to them.
It has neither joy nor hope nor light. It is an illusion. The poet says that the only thing to give the people comfort in this world is true love. True love gives people support to be strong in bad situations. True love can relieve us of the sorrows and sufferings.
Arnold expresses the philosophy of life. He considers life full of criticism. The poet says that the people in the world run after the luxuries and worldly things to get peace and happiness. They totally ignore the reality of the world. They forget the reality of this world while achieving other things but they do not know that these worldly things cannot give them inner peace and happiness.
The poet further says that we all are living in the world of doubts, disbelief, confusions, and struggles. This world is only full of extreme sorrows and miseries. It can not give us relief in the hard times. Only true love may be the source of consolation in a hard time. The people are not familiar with the realities of life. They are living in the darkness of ignorance. The minds of people are filled with disbelief, doubts and miseries. So they have neither peace nor hope nor joy in their life. If happiness can be achieved, It can be achieved through love only.
Now the poet observes the calmness of the atmosphere and also the harsh sound coming from the pebbles. the poet says that the sound caused by the waves striking against the pebbles is still a great source of inspiration. It symbolizes the miseries of the people in this world. There is no happiness in this world. Even the objects of nature are sufferings from loneliness and miseries. The poet again says that only human beings seem to be sad but also the objects of nature seem full of sorrow.
The elegiac note is remarkable in the poem Dover Beach. and poet observes that the life is full of pain and sufferings. The man never enjoys it. A man works hard but he cannot get true happiness out of it. Happiness is an internal feeling of human beings. It cannot be got from outside worldly objects.
Now the poet compares faith to the sea. The poet further says that there was a time when faith played an important role in this world. Just as sea acts as a circle around the earth. Faith also dominated the hearts of all human beings on the earth. But now It has faded from the hearts of people because of growing doubts and disbelieving. Now It is departing itself from the world and is producing miseries in the world.
The poet again points out that there was a time when there was faith in the heart of everyone but now It has departed itself. And in place of faith doubts has taken place in the heart of human beings Now people have no faith in others. Asceticism and doubts have taken place of faith. There is no harmony among them. Therefore people are not happy even lonely in this crowded place.
The poet addresses his beloved saying that this world is full of sorrow. Love is like a light in the darkness of sorrows and miseries. The poet points out that this world seems very charming and attractive extremely but internally It does not give joy and happiness to the people. It offers nothing that can give permanent joy to them.
It has neither joy nor hope nor light. It is an illusion. The poet says that the only thing to give the people comfort in this world is true love. True love gives people support to be strong in bad situations. True love can relieve us of the sorrows and sufferings.
Arnold expresses the philosophy of life. He considers life full of criticism. The poet says that the people in the world run after the luxuries and worldly things to get peace and happiness. They totally ignore the reality of the world. They forget the reality of this world while achieving other things but they do not know that these worldly things cannot give them inner peace and happiness.
The poet further says that we all are living in the world of doubts, disbelief, confusions, and struggles. This world is only full of extreme sorrows and miseries. It can not give us relief in the hard times. Only true love may be the source of consolation in a hard time. The people are not familiar with the realities of life. They are living in the darkness of ignorance. The minds of people are filled with disbelief, doubts and miseries. So they have neither peace nor hope nor joy in their life. If happiness can be achieved, It can be achieved through love only.
