“The Charge of the Light Brigade” was written by the English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson in response to a battle during the Crimean War (1853-1855). In this battle, a British cavalry unit—the “Light Brigade”—was commanded to charge against a Russian artillery unit. The order was almost suicidal, and the brigade was decimated in the charge. “The Charge of the Light Brigade” celebrates the self-sacrifice and heroism of the cavalrymen, suggesting that bravery consists of doing one's duty even when it leads to almost certain death.
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The Full Text of “The Charge of the Light Brigade”
I
1Half a league, half a league,
2Half a league onward,
3All in the valley of Death
4 Rode the six hundred.
5“Forward, the Light Brigade!
6Charge for the guns!” he said.
7Into the valley of Death
8 Rode the six hundred.
II
9“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
10Was there a man dismayed?
11Not though the soldier knew
12 Someone had blundered.
13 Theirs not to make reply,
14 Theirs not to reason why,
15 Theirs but to do and die.
16 Into the valley of Death
17 Rode the six hundred.
III
18Cannon to right of them,
19Cannon to left of them,
20Cannon in front of them
21 Volleyed and thundered;
22Stormed at with shot and shell,
23Boldly they rode and well,
24Into the jaws of Death,
25Into the mouth of hell
26 Rode the six hundred.
IV
27Flashed all their sabres bare,
28Flashed as they turned in air
29Sabring the gunners there,
30Charging an army, while
31 All the world wondered.
32Plunged in the battery-smoke
33Right through the line they broke;
34Cossack and Russian
35Reeled from the sabre stroke
36 Shattered and sundered.
37Then they rode back, but not
38 Not the six hundred.
V
39Cannon to right of them,
40Cannon to left of them,
41Cannon behind them
42 Volleyed and thundered;
43Stormed at with shot and shell,
44While horse and hero fell.
45They that had fought so well
46Came through the jaws of Death,
47Back from the mouth of hell,
48All that was left of them,
49 Left of six hundred.
VI
50When can their glory fade?
51O the wild charge they made!
52 All the world wondered.
53Honour the charge they made!
54Honour the Light Brigade,
55 Noble six hundred!
The Full Text of “The Charge of the Light Brigade”
I
1Half a league, half a league,
2Half a league onward,
3All in the valley of Death
4 Rode the six hundred.
5“Forward, the Light Brigade!
6Charge for the guns!” he said.
7Into the valley of Death
8 Rode the six hundred.
II
9“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
10Was there a man dismayed?
11Not though the soldier knew
12 Someone had blundered.
13 Theirs not to make reply,
14 Theirs not to reason why,
15 Theirs but to do and die.
16 Into the valley of Death
17 Rode the six hundred.
III
18Cannon to right of them,
19Cannon to left of them,
20Cannon in front of them
21 Volleyed and thundered;
22Stormed at with shot and shell,
23Boldly they rode and well,
24Into the jaws of Death,
25Into the mouth of hell
26 Rode the six hundred.
IV
27Flashed all their sabres bare,
28Flashed as they turned in air
29Sabring the gunners there,
30Charging an army, while
31 All the world wondered.
32Plunged in the battery-smoke
33Right through the line they broke;
34Cossack and Russian
35Reeled from the sabre stroke
36 Shattered and sundered.
37Then they rode back, but not
38 Not the six hundred.
V
39Cannon to right of them,
40Cannon to left of them,
41Cannon behind them
42 Volleyed and thundered;
43Stormed at with shot and shell,
44While horse and hero fell.
45They that had fought so well
46Came through the jaws of Death,
47Back from the mouth of hell,
48All that was left of them,
49 Left of six hundred.
VI
50When can their glory fade?
51O the wild charge they made!
52 All the world wondered.
53Honour the charge they made!
54Honour the Light Brigade,
55 Noble six hundred!
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“The Charge of the Light Brigade” Summary
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“The Charge of the Light Brigade” Themes
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Bravery, Duty, and Sacrifice
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Charge of the Light Brigade”
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Lines 1-4
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred. -
Lines 5-8
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred. -
Lines 9-12
“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered. -
Lines 13-17
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. -
Lines 18-21
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered; -
Lines 22-26
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. -
Lines 27-31
Flashed all their sabres bare,
Flashed as they turned in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wondered. -
Lines 31-36
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. -
Lines 37-38
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred. -
Lines 39-42
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered; -
Lines 43-49
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. -
Lines 50-55
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!
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“The Charge of the Light Brigade” Symbols
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Jaws of Death
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“The Charge of the Light Brigade” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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End-Stopped Line
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Enjambment
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Caesura
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Alliteration
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Assonance
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Consonance
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Allusion
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Repetition
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Metaphor
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“The Charge of the Light Brigade” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- League
- Light Brigade
- Dismayed
- Blundered
- Volleyed
- Shell
- Flashed
- Sabres
- Plunged
- Battery-smoke
- Cossack
- Reeled
- Sundered
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Charge of the Light Brigade”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“The Charge of the Light Brigade” Speaker
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“The Charge of the Light Brigade” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “The Charge of the Light Brigade”
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More “The Charge of the Light Brigade” Resources
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External Resources
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Victorian England — A history of Victorian England from the British Library.
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The Crimean War — A brief history of the Crimean War from Britain's National Archives.
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The Poem Read Aloud — Colm O'Sullivan recites "The Charge of the Light Brigade"
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Poem of the Week — A brief essay on "The Charge of the Light Brigade" from Carol Rumens at The Guardian.
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New Light on the Light Brigade — A recent article from the Telegraph Newspaper on newly uncovered information about the history of the Light Brigade's fateful charge.
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Tennyson's Life Story — A detailed biography of the author of "The Charge of the Light Brigade" from the Poetry Foundation.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson
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