Alfred Noyes' "The Highwayman" is a classic poem that tells the tale of a dashing highwayman and his doomed love affair with Bess, the landlord's daughter. The poem is written in ballad form and is known for its vivid imagery and romantic themes.
At the beginning of the poem, Noyes introduces the highwayman as a bold and daring figure, "riding on a midnight track." He is a skilled horseman and a formidable opponent, feared by all who cross his path. Despite his reputation as a thief and a rogue, the highwayman is also depicted as a romantic and chivalrous hero, willing to risk everything for the sake of his love for Bess.
Bess, on the other hand, is depicted as a tragic figure, torn between her duty to her father and her love for the highwayman. Despite the dangers of their relationship, Bess is willing to brave the risks and follow the highwayman wherever he goes.
The conflict between the highwayman and Bess's duty to her father is a central theme of the poem. The landlord, who is depicted as a harsh and unforgiving figure, is determined to capture the highwayman and bring him to justice. In an attempt to save the highwayman, Bess sacrifices her own life and allows herself to be shot by the landlord's men, hoping that her death will allow the highwayman to escape.
The theme of sacrifice and selfless love is a key element of the poem, and Noyes does an excellent job of depicting the depth of the highwayman and Bess's feelings for each other. The poem's final lines, in which the highwayman returns to Bess's grave and joins her in death, are particularly poignant and have cemented "The Highwayman's" place as a classic love story.
Overall, "The Highwayman" is a beautifully written and emotionally powerful poem that has stood the test of time. Its themes of love, sacrifice, and the power of passion will continue to resonate with readers for generations to come.
The Highwayman Poem Analysis Essay
They drank his ale instead. His face burnt like a brand As the sweet black waves of perfume came tumbling o'er his breast, Then he kissed its waves in the moonlight O sweet black waves in the moonlight! He goes there to meet his lover, Bess, the landlord's daughter. Her face was like a light! This is typical of Gothic Romantics, as nature often plays a prominent role in their works. The bench explodes next to the Riflemanas a bullet drives it self in to the stage, closely missing him. And thenthey will be able to see him. They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years Till, now, on the stroke of midnight, Cold, on the stroke of midnight, The tip of one finger touched it! His boots were up to the thigh.
Alfred Noyes Poems
In this poem, a highwayman robber and his lover are separated from each other and killed. THE wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees, The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, And the highwayman came ridingâ Ridingâridingâ The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door. Tlot tlot, tlot tlot! Part One ''The Highwayman'' is a narrative poem about a highwayman or person who robs people on the highway and the woman he loves. His face was white and peaked. . Tim betrays the highwayman to the kings' soldiers. He also sounds very rich with all those expensive clothes on him.
Analysis of âThe Highwaymanâ
To warn him about the danger, she shoots herself in the heart and dies. Two of them knelt at her casement with muskets at their side! Noyes employs numerous literary devices in this work, such as onomatopoeia, metaphors, similes, and repetition. She heard the dead man say, "Look for me by moonlight, Watch for me by moonlight, I'll come to thee by moonlight, though Hell should bar the way. These works often contain large, ominous houses and dangerous characters. The Highwayman takes aim with his pistol. The Rifleman sinks back in the bench, spent. Were they deaf that they did not hear? He wrote this poem in 1906.
Analysis of: The Highwayman
Indeed, their only reason for being there is to kill the highwayman. He stretched himself to his full height, hoping to reach Bess and give her a kiss, but when that did not work, Bess herself opened her long hair. They drank his ale instead. Nearer, he came and nearer. However, the highwayman promises Bess he will be back with the spoils of his robbery the next day. All this leads them to be portrayed in a brutish, sinister light.
