The Charge of the Light Brigade

“In Memoriam A. H. H.” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1833-1850)

“In Memoriam A. H. H.” is the poem that solidified Tennyson’s reputation as a major poet when it was published in 1850, leading to his appointment as poet laureate. It is an elegy to Arthur Henry Hallam, and it was written in 133 cantos (or sections) over 17 years. Several lines from the poem became famous, including its description of “Nature, red in tooth and claw” (Lines 57.15) and the intensity of grief:

So runs my dream, but what am I?

An infant crying in the night

An infant crying for the light

And with no language but a cry (Lines 55.17-55.20).

The poem grapples with loss, grief, and healing. It employs similar sound techniques as “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” one of the many events Tennyson had to write about in his position as poet laureate.

“Ulysses” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1842)

In this dramatic monologue, Ulysses returns from battle in the Trojan war to express his discontent, comparing his present rather quiet life with his former rousing heroics. Distanced from his son Telemachus, he decides to go on one more quest, for “’Tis not too late to seek a newer world” (Line 57). He hopes to “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield” (Line 70). Ulysses is portrayed as resolute and heroic, similarly noble to the soldiers at Balaclava, in his courage and persistence.

“The Charge of the Heavy Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1885)

Written three decades after the Battle at Balaclava, “The Charge of the Heavy Brigade” addresses the actions of the Heavy Brigade that fought at the same battle in 1854. The poem is divided into three parts. The first is an address to General Hamley, the second regards the charge and the soldiers’ actions, and the third is a dialogue between the pacificist Irene and the Poet about the value of war poetry. This last section may comment on the writing of “The Charge of the Light Brigade.” The poem was produced to raise money for the veterans of the Crimean war.