Topic Summaries

• Poet: Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892)
• Year: 1854
• Form: Dactylic dimeter, ballad with 6 stanzas
• Key techniques: Repetition, personification, anaphora

About the poet

Alfred, Lord Tennyson was a British poet and was the longest serving Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom for over 40 years (from 1850 until his death in 1892). This position gave him a platform to write poems on national events and issues, and he often wrote deeply patriotic and sentimental works to reflect or shape public perception. He was heavily influenced by Romanticism in his efforts to capture the Victorian spirit and moral righteousness.

Historical context

The Charge of the Light Brigade was a military manoeuvre that took place during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War (1853–1856) when 600 British soldiers were ordered to charge Russian artillery troops and only 247 men survived. This poem was written shortly after this event when it was still at the forefront of the public consciousness.

Literary context

Tennyson often wrote narrative poems with mythological elements to convey grandeur, heroism, and national spirit. Tennyson was the Poet Laureate throughout most of the Victorian era, making him an authoritative voice within the United Kingdom.

Key ideas

• Bravery in conflict
• Soldiers as individuals and a collective
• Futility of war
• Innocent and powerless victims of war
• Death, loss, and sacrifice
• Power of memory