Dover Beach By Matthew Arnold Versus Love Among The Ruins' By Robert Browning

The poems “Love Among the Ruins” and “ Dover Beach” by Robert Browning and Matthew Arnold, two poets of the 19th century, have countless similarities and differences. Both poets convey negativity about human nature in their works. The poems both examine love’s value among the disorder of humanity. The poems “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold and “Love Among the Ruins” by Robert Browning have plenty of similarities and differences such as the overall message of each poem, the way both poets interpret love, and how evil they believe the world is. Even though the two poets’ interpretations about love are a bit different, the poems theme and style are very similar.

There are plenty of similarities between the two poems but there are also crucial differences. In each poem, the authors use the imagery in their design of tranquil scenes, with Matthew Arnold painting a calm ocean and Browning painting clerical countryside. Thematically, both poems are also similar because they both criticize humanity. Although, Matt Arnold, peculiarly criticizes losing faith whereas Robert Browning finds countless issues with human nature. Both authors’ speakers also cherish love for different reasons. Matt Arnold’s speaker’s need for love is kind of desperate, as he needs a lover in the unfaithful world, whereas Robert Browning’s love is eternal and tranquil. Those are just a few of the countless similarities and differences between both poems.

The theme in “Dover Beach” is that society’s losing religious faith, but moral support and consolation can still be found in love. Arnold uses various metaphors and imagery to create a mood of tranquil melancholy, reiterating the sad theme of the poem. The speaker’s melancholic mood is conveyed through a metaphor. “Listen! You hear the grating roar…With tremulous cadence slow, and bring / The eternal note of sadness in.” (Arnold 10, 13-14) The ocean’s waves are similar to a sad song, serving as a preliminary for Matthew Arnold’s sad deductions about humanity. Tranquility is conveyed by imagery, just as Matthew Arnold writes, “The sea is calm tonight / The tide is full, the moon lies fair,” (Arnold 1, 2 ) and that “The Cliffs of England are / Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.” (Arnold 4, 5) Matt Arnold uses numerous metaphors to indicate the speaker’s appall with society.

Robert Browning conveys a very similar theme in “Love Among the Ruins.” “Love Among the Ruins” expresses how the importance of temporal human accomplishments loses significance in contrast to that of predominant love. Robert Browning utilizes an early Roman city as a symbol for values and human accomplishments. For example, the Roman buildings are a symbol of human accomplishments. Matthew Arnold compares images of the buildings and their occupants with the clerical scene that marks their previous site. The speaker states, “Where the domed and daring place shot its spires / Up like fires.” (Browning 19, 20) The speaker also says, “Now…does not even boast a tree.” (Browning 13) “Love Among the Ruins” has a similar theme to “Dover Beach” because each theme is about how important love is.

Ultimately, both poems have many more similarities in common than they do differences, but there are still numerous differences between each poem. The poems “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold and “Love Among the Ruins” by Robert Browning have plenty of similarities and differences such as the overall message of each poem, the way both poets interpret love, and how evil both poets believe the world is. Both poets find faults with the world and how evil it is. Furthermore, each poem sets to love against confused images of the world they’re living in. As you can see the poems “Dover Beach” and “Love Among the Ruins” have a lot of similarities and differences. Altogether, both poets believe that love is a positive force in a pestilential world.