Question

What is the central theme of Matthew Arnold's 'Dover Beach'?

• A. The celebration of natural beauty
• B. The joys of romantic love
• C. The loss of faith and certainty in the modern world
• D. The triumph of scientific progress

Answer 1

Answer:

C. The loss of faith and certainty in the modern world

'Dover Beach' primarily explores the themes of the decline of religious faith and the resulting sense of uncertainty and despair in the face of scientific progress and modernity. The poem reflects on the loss of traditional values and the search for meaning in a changing world. This theme is encapsulated in the metaphor of the receding 'Sea of Faith'.