The Charge of the Light Brigade & Bayonet Charge
Tennyson’s ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’
Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote this poem in 1854, shortly after reading a newspaper report about the disastrous cavalry charge at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War. Due to a miscommunication in orders, 600 British soldiers on horseback charged directly into Russian cannons. Around 110 were killed, 160 wounded, and 375 horses destroyed. Tennyson wrote the poem in minutes, driven by admiration for the soldiers’ obedience and courage.
As Poet Laureate, Tennyson had an official role to write for the nation. His poem commemorates the bravery of ordinary soldiers while subtly criticising the commanders whose “blunder” caused the disaster. The poem was published in The Examiner newspaper and was widely read by the Victorian public.
“Half a league, half a league, / Half a league onward” — The poem opens with driving dactylic rhythm that mimics the galloping of horses. The repetition creates a sense of unstoppable momentum — the soldiers cannot turn back. A league is approximately three miles; the repetition emphasises the vast distance they must cover under fire.
“Into the valley of Death” — An allusion to Psalm 23 (“the valley of the shadow of death”). The capitalisation of “Death” personifies it as a force waiting for them. The valley is also literal — the soldiers rode into a valley surrounded by cannon on three sides.
“Some one had blunder’d” — Tennyson acknowledges the catastrophic military error, but does not name the person responsible. The vague “Some one” deflects blame from any individual, keeping the focus on the soldiers’ bravery rather than the leaders’ incompetence.
“Theirs not to make reply, / Theirs not to reason why, / Theirs but to do and die” — The triple repetition of “Theirs” emphasises the soldiers’ unquestioning obedience. The rhyme of “why” and “die” links questioning with death — obedience is their only option. This can be read as both admiration for their duty and a quiet criticism of a system that demands blind obedience.
“Cannon to right of them, / Cannon to left of them, / Cannon in front of them” — The repetition surrounds the reader just as the cannons surround the soldiers. The three directions create a claustrophobic trap. “Volley’d and thunder’d” uses onomatopoeia to bring the sounds of battle to life.
“Honour the charge they made! / Honour the Light Brigade” — The imperative “Honour” is a direct instruction to the reader. Tennyson commands us to remember and respect these men, turning the poem into a memorial.
Ted Hughes’s ‘Bayonet Charge’
Ted Hughes wrote ‘Bayonet Charge’ from the imagined perspective of a World War I soldier mid-attack. Unlike Tennyson, Hughes does not celebrate or commemorate — he exposes the terror, confusion, and absurdity of combat. Hughes’s father survived the Gallipoli campaign, and this personal connection shapes the poem’s raw intensity.
Hughes begins the poem in medias res (in the middle of the action) with the word “Suddenly.” There is no buildup, no context, no patriotic framing — the reader is thrown into the chaos just as the soldier is, reflecting the disorientation of combat.
“Suddenly he awoke and was running” — The abrupt opening disorients the reader. “Awoke” suggests the soldier has been in a trance-like state; the violence has shocked him into consciousness. The past continuous “was running” creates immediacy.
“raw-seamed hot khaki, his sweat heavy” — The compound adjectives and tactile imagery make the reader feel the soldier’s physical discomfort. “Raw-seamed” suggests the uniform is chafing his skin, reducing the heroic soldier to a suffering body.
“King, honour, human dignity, etcetera / Dropped like luxuries” — The dismissive “etcetera” is devastating. The abstract concepts that supposedly justify war (King, honour, dignity) are treated as meaningless afterthoughts. “Dropped like luxuries” suggests they are discarded under the pressure of survival — in the moment of combat, ideology is worthless.
“a yellow hare that rolled like a flame” — The simile compares the injured hare to a flame, linking nature with the violence of war. The hare’s suffering mirrors the soldier’s — both are innocent victims caught in destruction they don’t understand. The image is both beautiful and horrifying.
Comparing the Two Poems
Attitude to war: Tennyson commemorates and honours the soldiers; Hughes strips away all heroism and glory. Tennyson’s repetitive, galloping rhythm creates energy and momentum; Hughes’s irregular, fractured lines mirror the soldier’s confusion. Tennyson’s soldiers are a collective (“the six hundred”); Hughes focuses on a single, anonymous individual.
Use of form: Tennyson uses a regular, driving rhythm and repeated refrains; Hughes uses three stanzas of unequal length with enjambment that creates a breathless, stumbling pace. Both poets use sound devices, but for opposite effects: Tennyson’s onomatopoeia (“thunder’d”) creates dramatic spectacle, while Hughes’s harsh consonants (“raw-seamed hot khaki”) create physical discomfort.
Context: Tennyson wrote as Poet Laureate with a patriotic duty; Hughes wrote from a twentieth-century perspective shaped by two world wars and a more critical attitude towards military authority.