# Historical Cycles in Poetry

> Theme guide for Poetry by Matthew Arnold.

History is presented as a repetitive cycle of rise and fall, with past glories and crimes echoing into the present, urging reflection on the futility of ambition and the inevitability of change, as in 'Alaric at Rome' and 'Obermann Once More.'

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_16_se/themes/historical_cycles
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_16_se/themes