Context

Historical and political context

• The poem commemorates the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War (1854).
• A misinterpreted order led to the British light cavalry charging directly into a valley surrounded by well-defended Russian cannons.
• As Poet Laureate, Tennyson was expected to write patriotic works celebrating national events and figures.
• He wrote the poem as a tribute to the soldiers' immense bravery, separating their actions from the leaders' error.

Social and literary context

• Victorian society placed a high value on duty, honour, and obedience, especially in a military context.
• Soldiers were expected to follow orders without question, a value Tennyson celebrates in the poem.
• The poem was published in the newspaper just weeks after the event, acting as a piece of journalism and a memorial.
• This context explains Tennyson's use of heroic language and a strong, regular rhythm to portray a military disaster as a noble sacrifice.

Overview

The Charge of the Light Brigade in a nutshell

• What literally happens in the poem: Six hundred British cavalrymen of the Light Brigade are ordered to charge into a valley full of enemy cannons. They obey, ride into intense fire, fight the enemy, and then retreat, suffering huge losses.
• Context and significance: Written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the Poet Laureate, the poem immortalises a real, disastrous military event from the Crimean War, transforming it into a story of heroism and unquestioning duty.
• Key techniques and approach: Tennyson uses a strong, driving rhythm, repetition, and vivid personification to create a sense of glorious, unstoppable action whilst also highlighting the tragedy of the event.

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Lines 1-8 (Stanza 1)

"Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!" he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred."

Translation

• The soldiers ride forward for about a mile and a half.
• The narrator states that all 600 of them rode into a "valley of Death".
• An unnamed commander gives the order to advance and "Charge for the guns!"

Tennyson's intention

• The repetition of "Half a league" and the galloping rhythm create a sense of relentless, unstoppable movement, mirroring the horses' hooves.
• The biblical metaphor "valley of Death" immediately establishes a sense of doom and foreshadows the tragic outcome of the charge.
• The use of direct speech for the command, "Forward, the Light Brigade!", adds a sense of immediacy and highlights the moment the fatal order was given.

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Lines 9-17 (Stanza 2)

""Forward, the Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred."

Translation

• The order to advance is repeated.
• The narrator asks a rhetorical question: Was any soldier discouraged?
• He answers that they were not, even though they were aware a mistake had been made in the orders.
• The soldiers believed their duty was not to question or talk back, but simply to act and, if necessary, die.

Tennyson's intention

• The rhetorical question "Was there a man dismayed?" is immediately answered to emphasise the soldiers' unwavering bravery.
• The line "Someone had blundered" is a direct and bold criticism of the military leadership, separating the leaders' mistake from the soldiers' duty.
• The anaphoric repetition [repeating words at the start of successive phrases] in "Theirs not to... Theirs not to... Theirs but to..." creates a powerful, chant-like rhythm that reinforces the soldiers' code of absolute obedience as a noble quality.

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Lines 18-26 (Stanza 3)

"Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six hundred."

Translation

• The soldiers are surrounded by enemy cannons on three sides.
• The cannons fired loudly, and the soldiers were bombarded with ammunition.
• Despite this, they rode bravely and skilfully into a situation so deadly it is compared to the jaws of a monster or the entrance to hell.

Tennyson's intention

• The repetition of "Cannon to..." at the start of three consecutive lines creates a sense of being trapped and overwhelmed by enemy fire.
• The violent verbs "Volleyed and thundered" create powerful auditory imagery [appeals to the sense of hearing], immersing the reader in the chaos of the battle.
• The personification [giving human qualities to an object] of "jaws of Death" and "mouth of hell" portrays the battle as a monstrous, living entity consuming the men, which highlights their courage in facing it.

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Lines 27-38 (Stanza 4)

"Flashed all their sabres bare,
Flashed as they turned in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wondered.
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeled from the sabre stroke
Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred."

Translation

• The soldiers' swords shone as they fought, attacking the Russian gunners.
• The whole world marvelled at their charge.
• They broke through the enemy line, and the Russian soldiers fell back from their attack.
• After the attack, the Light Brigade rode back, but there were fewer than 600 of them left.

Tennyson's intention

• The repetition of "Flashed" creates a heroic image of light and glory amidst the "battery-smoke", immortalising the soldiers' bravery.
• The phrase "All the world wondered" suggests the historical significance of their charge, elevating it to a legendary event.
• The volta [turning point in poem] occurs with "Then they rode back, but not / Not the six hundred". The repetition of "not" and the break in the rhythm create a sudden, tragic shift, emphasising the terrible loss of life.

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Lines 39-49 (Stanza 5)

"Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell.
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred."

Translation

• The cannons are now behind the soldiers as they retreat.
• They are still being fired upon, and both soldiers and horses are killed.
• The survivors are described as having come back from the deadly battle, but only a remnant of the original group remains.

Tennyson's intention

• The structure of this stanza deliberately mirrors stanza 3, but with "Cannon behind them" instead of "in front of them". This structural parallel shows that the danger is just as great on the retreat as it was during the charge.
• The phrase "horse and hero fell" creates a sense of shared tragedy, honouring both the men and their animals. The alliteration draws attention to the losses.
• The repetition of "left of them, / Left of six hundred" at the end of the stanza powerfully conveys the scale of the casualties and creates a mournful, solemn tone.

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Lines 50-55 (Stanza 6)

"When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!"

Translation

• The narrator asks when the glory of these soldiers could possibly disappear, implying it never will.
• He exclaims how impressive their charge was, which the whole world marvelled at.
• He then directly commands the reader to honour the soldiers and their actions.

Tennyson's intention

• The final stanza is short and direct, shifting from storytelling to a command. The rhetorical question "When can their glory fade?" confidently asserts that their bravery is immortal.
• The use of imperative verbs [verbs that give a command] "Honour" turns the poem into a direct instruction to the reader, ensuring its purpose as a memorial is clear.
• The final description of the men as the "Noble six hundred" elevates their status, suggesting their sacrifice has given them a permanent, aristocratic-like honour.

Writer's methods

Analysing form, structure, and language together is crucial. These elements work in combination to convey Tennyson's message about honouring the soldiers' bravery and sense of duty, even when faced with a catastrophic military error.

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Form

The poem is a narrative ballad, a form traditionally used to tell stories of heroes, battles, and legends.

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Structure

The poem is structured into six stanzas, chronologically narrating the charge from the order to the attack, the retreat, and finally the legacy.

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Language

Tennyson uses powerful imagery and elevated language to present the soldiers as heroes fulfilling their patriotic duty.

What to compare it to

Effective comparison involves exploring how poets use different methods to explore similar themes or ideas. Consider how Tennyson's patriotic, memorialising purpose contrasts with other poets who focus on the psychological reality or futility of conflict.

Suggested comparisons

• The Charge of the Light Brigade and Bayonet Charge - Both poems depict a soldier charging, but one focuses on collective glory and the other on individual terror.
• The Charge of the Light Brigade and Exposure - These poems offer contrasting views of war: Tennyson focuses on a moment of intense, glorious action, whilst Owen portrays the slow, monotonous suffering of waiting.

The Charge of the Light Brigade and Bayonet Charge

Comparison in a nutshell

Both poems depict a soldier charging in battle, but they present vastly different perspectives. Tennyson's poem is a patriotic tribute to the soldiers' collective duty and heroism, whereas Hughes' poem focuses on the chaotic, individual terror of a single soldier.

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Similarities

Point

Both poems use vivid verbs and sensory language to immerse the reader in the chaos and violence of the battlefield.

Evidence and explanation

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Differences

Point

The poets use rhythm and structure to create contrasting effects: Tennyson builds a sense of heroic order, whilst Hughes creates a feeling of confusion and panic.

Evidence and explanation

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Endings comparison

Point

The endings of the two poems reveal their different purposes: Tennyson's poem concludes with a public call for honour, whilst Hughes' poem ends on a note of desperate, animalistic survival.

Evidence and explanation

The Charge of the Light Brigade and Exposure

Comparison in a nutshell

Both poems explore the suffering of soldiers, but they focus on completely different aspects of war. Tennyson's poem glorifies a moment of intense action and heroic sacrifice, whereas Owen's poem reveals the monotonous, bleak, and futile suffering of waiting in the trenches.

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Similarities

Point

Both poets use repetition to emphasise the relentless and inescapable nature of the soldiers' suffering.

Evidence and explanation

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Differences

Point

The poets present contrasting antagonists: In Tennyson's poem, the enemy is a human force to be fought heroically, whilst in Owen's poem, the true enemy is nature itself.

Evidence and explanation

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Endings comparison

Point

The endings of the poems offer starkly different conclusions about the meaning of the soldiers' sacrifice: Tennyson asserts their eternal glory, whilst Owen questions the very purpose of their death.

Evidence and explanation