Dover Beach

The speaker in Mathew Arnold’s poem “Dover Beach” seems to be searching for the meaning of life. The evening is perfect for lovers, yet he is heavy hearted. Perhaps if he looks deeply into the heart of his lover instead of his own troubled heart, he might find for what it is he is searching.
He speaks to his lover in the cabin of their boat out in the straits between Dover England, and the coast of France. It is on a beautiful moonlit night and a full tide that he summons his lover to the window to see the cliffs of Dover to one side, and the lights on the coast of France on the other. As the waves crest and fall, the shimmering French coast “gleams and is gone.” (4) The cliffs stand “vast, out in the tranquil bay.” (5) These two lines suggest the couple is out on the water by the description of the view. The setting is one of peace, tranquility, and romance.
Sights that should be pleasing to his eyes are instead troublesome. Sounds that should soothe the soul on s...