“The Highwayman”
By Alfred Noyes
•Genre: Narrative Poetry
•Setting: 18th Century England; road to a dark, old
inn yard
•CHARACTERS:
•The Highwayman- a gallant thief; well dressed with
a French-cocked hat, lace shirt, doeskin breeches,
coat of claret velvet, high boots, pistols and a rapier.
•Bess- the Highwayman’s lover and daughter of the
landlord of the inn; long black hair and red lips
•Tim- caretaker of horses at the inn; lovelorn, pale,
jealous and mad. He loves Bess and is crazed
because she loves the Highwayman. He warns the
redcoats of the Highwayman’s planned return.
The Redcoats- They plan to ambush the highwayman.
They bully Bess, tie her up, and laugh disrespectfully
at her. They put a gun under her rib cage when she
cannot defend herself.
Uses of Onomatopoeia in “The Highwayman”
Lines 68-71:
“Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! Had they heard it: The horse hoofs ringing
clear;
Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance? Were they deaf that they
did not hear?”
Where is the onomatopoeia in these lines?
•The poet uses the sound “Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot!” To
create the sound of the horse galloping toward the inn.
•Onomatopoeia- The use of a word or phrases whose
sounds suggest their meanings.
•Use of alliteration- “Over the cobbles he clattered and
clashed”
PLOT SUMMARY:
The highwayman is a thief in eighteenthcentury England. He promises to return to
his love, Bess, by moonlight. King George’s
redcoats (soldiers) learn of his planned
return from Tim (the ostler). They capture
Bess and lie in wait for the highwayman.
When Bess hears the highwayman
returning, she shoots herself to warn the
highwayman to go away. The highwayman
retreats, but soon finds out his love is dead.
Enraged, he rides back to avenge her death
and is killed himself.
CENTRAL CONFLICT:
Tim the ostler loves Bess, but she loves the
highwayman. When Tim hears the highwayman
will be back at the inn, he brings in the redcoats
to capture him.
MOOD:
At the beginning, the atmosphere is eerie (darkness,
gusty trees, ghostly galleon, and ribbon of moonlight)
At the end, the atmosphere is one of despair, loss,
and loyalty (The highwayman is brave and would risk his
own safety to avenge Bess’s death. He feels he has
nothing left to live for now that his lover is dead.) It is
suggested that the ghosts of the two lovers continue to
meet. An eerie mood is then created in the final stanzas.