The Speaker

The speaker is unnamed and never appears in the poem. This makes sense because the speaker is merely observing the tragic, disastrous events of the Light Brigade’s charge, and is himself not involved in the action. Instead, the speaker seems aligned with the people who are concerned about the outcome of the battle, the “all the world” who “wondered” (31). This phrase is repeated in the final Section VI of the poem, but this time in relation to the “glory” (50) of the Light Brigade. Suggesting that it will never “fade” (50), the speaker calls upon his addressee – the reader of the poem, which could be anyone – to “honour” (53) the bravery of the soldiers who charged despite knowing that they would die.

The Six Hundred

The six hundred soldiers of the Light Brigade appear in every stanza of Tennyson’s poem. However, none of the soldiers are ever distinguished...