Victorian Literature  Talim Enam 

The Critical Analysis of the Poem “Dover Beach” By Matthew Arnold

 How does the poet Matthew Arnold react to the Victorian unrest in his poems?
 How does “Dover Beach” depict tragedy of modern life?
 Describe the elegiac tone in Arnold’s poem.
 How does Arnold use imagery in his poems?
 Discuss the use of nature Arnold’s poem.

Matthew Arnold, one of the major Victorian poets, expresses his despair,
hopelessness, frustration, to the decline of religious faith in his poem with images
taken from nature. He, in his poems, depicts the Victorian unrest and the tragedy of
modern life with an elegiac tone.
Actually, the Victorian era (1837 -1901) was as age of doubt and disputes;
conflict and controversies; restlessness and psychological complexity. At the same
time, the age is marked with industrial advancement, scientific prosperity and
educational progress. Many new inventions question the truthfulness of religious faith.
The publications of “The Origin of Species” (1859) by Darwin gave rise the conflict
between religion and science. Moreover, rapid industrialization caused de-
labourization which had a terrible impact on working class society. So the Victorian
age was the age of restlessness as well as spiritual crisis. As a sensitive poet, Arnold
depicts the crisis with an agonized heart and elegiac tone.
In “Dover Beach” (1867) the poet laments for the loss of religious faith in the
materialistic word. The very first stanza of the poem opens with a very powerful
natural imagery of calm sea. The poet creates a peaceful view of the strait of Dover
where the sea is calm, the tide is full and the moon in fair.
“The sea is calm to-night.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits;”
From his window the poet can listen to the gathering noise of the pebbles on the
sea shore. The poet is overwhelmed with the scene that he invites his wife to come to
the window.
“Listen! you hear the grating roar...”

The harsh noise of the withdrawing pebbles brings the eternal note of sadness in poet’s
mind. The weaves of the sea bring in his mind the violent and threatening process.
This causes a sense of insecurity which Arnold relates to the insecurity of human
being in an unsettled world.

Prepared by: Talim Enamur Rahman, BA (Hons.), MA, in English, IU, Kushtia
For many more: http://www.enamsnote.blogspot.com , Cell: 01722 33 59 69, 01919 87 8703 [Page 1 of 4]
 
  Victorian Literature  Talim Enam 
“Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, ----------------
--------------------------and bring
The eternal note of sadness in”
In the second stanza, the poet mentions that Sophocles had similar experience
of hearing the ocean waves sound which made him think of the tragedy of mankind
and made him sad. The poet, along the cost of Aegean Sea, also hear the same sound
bringing the same thought.
“Sophocles long ago
Heard it on the Aegean, and it brought
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery...”

In the third stanza Arnold clearly reveals the cause the cause of his sadness
using sea as a metaphor for religious faith. Once people led a calm and quiet life with
firm religious belief. But now the waves of the sea of faith are withdrawing and only
the naked pebbles are seen on the shore. The poet thus seems to say that the religious
faith is no longer working. In fact, the poet also hints at the spiritual crisis of the
Victorian Period created from the advancement of science. As the poet says:
“The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furl'd.”

In the final stanza, the poet wants to cling to the personal relationship as a defense
against the materialistic society. He portrays a bleak and sad picture of then present
world inserting a military image. He says that the people are now as confused as the two
opposing armies who are fighting at night. In the dark it is impossible to differentiate a
friend from an enemy. Even the fighting army do not know why they are fighting. Thus
Arnold hints a confused state of Victorian society.

“And we are here as on a darkling plain

Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.”

In “The Scholar Gipsy” the poet laments for the loss of simple faith and single
minded devotion and for the rise of intellectual confusion in the society. The Scholar
Gipsy leaving the conventional path of material progress wandered in the lap of nature
with the Gipsy to learn the gipsy-lore.

“'And I,' he said, 'the secret of their art,

When fully learn'd, will to the world impart”

Prepared by: Talim Enamur Rahman, BA (Hons.), MA, in English, IU, Kushtia
For many more: http://www.enamsnote.blogspot.com , Cell: 01722 33 59 69, 01919 87 8703 [Page 2 of 4]
 
  Victorian Literature  Talim Enam 
The Scholar Gipsy lived almost two hundred years ago when age was peaceful, calm
and quiet. The minds of the people were clean and free from any kind of disbelief. He
did not see the maladies of present time.

“--No, no, thou hast not felt the lapse of hours!

For what wears out the life of mortal men?”

But the Victorian age has no definite values. The minds of people are troubled
and broken by the exited hurry and confused aims. The hearts of people are almost
dead and paralyzed.
“----- each strives, nor knows for what he strives,
And each half lives a hundred different lives;”

Thus Arnold expresses his sadness at the present condition of the society in his
“The Forsaken Merman, Rugby Chapel and many of his other poem.

Last of all we can say that, Arnold having an acute sense of age depicts the
restlessness as well as spiritual crisis Victorian era with an elegiac tone in his poems.
None of his contemporaries can show the futility of so-called modern and mechanical
life as perfectly as Arnold.

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Prepared by: Talim Enamur Rahman, BA (Hons.), MA, in English, IU, Kushtia
For many more: http://www.enamsnote.blogspot.com , Cell: 01722 33 59 69, 01919 87 8703 [Page 3 of 4]
 
  Victorian Literature  Talim Enam 

If you have any query, suggestion or complain regarding the article, please do
not hesitate to contact me at +8801722 33 59 69, 01919 87 87 03. You find
more notes on my blog http://enamsnote.blogspot.com and also follow me
at www.fb.com/enamsnote well as www.fb.com/enamur

If you find the article beneficial to you, please share it on your facebook and
never forget to add your valuable comments. It will encourage me to post more
articles for you.
Your discussion is my inspiration.
 

Prepared by: Talim Enamur Rahman, BA (Hons.), MA, in English, IU, Kushtia
For many more: http://www.enamsnote.blogspot.com , Cell: 01722 33 59 69, 01919 87 8703 [Page 4 of 4]