Comparative Study of Alfred Tennyson and Ahmed Shawqi

This study explored and discussed the poetry of Alfred Lord Tennyson, considered to be the greatest English poet and the third greatest English writer, and Ahmed Shawqi, the greatest poet in modern Arabic literature. This study discussed the poets’ biographies to provide a historical background before turning to their literary works. By looking at their works, we discover similarities and differences between the poets. The poets’ early lives were significantly similar. On the one hand, Tennyson was close to the Royal English Family. Whereas, Shawqi grew up in Egyptian Royal Palace with kings and queens, for whom he wrote elegies. A significant difference between them is that Shawqi was an only child, while Tennyson was the fourth son of nine children. Concerning their literary work, both were prominent writers who mastered the craft of creation and created poetry unique in terms of length and quality. We discovered that the poets composed elegies for kings and their beloved people. Shawqi wrote an elegy for his father, while Tennyson did not.