Battle, Retreat, and Remembrance
The action really kicks off in stanza 4 with "Flash'd all their sabres bare" - you can almost see the sunlight catching their swords as they fight. Amazingly, the Light Brigade actually breaks through the Russian lines for a moment, showing incredible courage despite the odds.
But reality hits hard: "Then they rode back, but not / Not the six hundred." This heartbreaking line reveals that many didn't survive. The repetition of "Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them" shows they're completely surrounded during their retreat.
The final stanza shifts the tone completely. Tennyson asks "When can their glory fade?" and uses imperative verbs like "Honour" to tell us we should never forget these brave men. Words like "glory," "honour," and "noble" transform what could be seen as a military disaster into a celebration of courage and sacrifice.
Key Technique: The sibilance in "Storm'd at with shot and shell" mimics the actual sounds of gunfire, making you feel like you're right there in the battle.