The Highwayman is a narrative poem written in 1905 by Alfred Noyes, about a criminal who is in love with the landlords

daughter. He goes out in to the night to try and steal more gold and because King Georges men fail to seize him, they go to the inn and take the landlords daughter hostage by tying her to her bed with a musket beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast. The kings men wait day and night for the highwaymans return and sure enough he returns over the hill. Bess, (the landlords daughter), however, sacrifices her own life to save the highwaymans by shooting herself with the musket to warn him away. The poem is written in the 3rd person because there is a lot of action in the poem and if the reader were to read or hear the story in the 1st person, the poem would lose in effectiveness. The 3rd person, on the other hand, creates distance from the events but still makes the reader feel involved in part of the story because of having to imagine what the characters are thinking, instead of simply being told. The poem consists of 17 stanzas and has an AABCB rhyme scheme. Noyes begins the poem by setting the scene; 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, the highwayman came riding- riding- riding-, the highwayman came riding up to the old inn door. This opening is very evocative and describes the surroundings, the weather, the moon, the eerie atmosphere and also introduces a character. The first stanza hooks the reader as it makes the reader wonder why he is riding to the old inn door and why he was riding at night. The moon being described as a ghostly galleon creates a gothic atmosphere. The second stanza describes what the highwayman is wearing; Hed a French cocked-hat on his forehead, providing a better insight into the historical context in which the poem is set. The description of his pistol, His pistol butts a-twinkle, his rapier hilt a twinkle, under the jewelled sky places attention on the fact that he is armed and his clothes, a coat of claret velvet, fitting with never a wrinkle suggest that the highwayman is quite wealthy. The third stanza describes the highwayman entering the courtyard of the inn, over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard. He tries to enter the inn, albeit noisily, but the doors are locked so he whistles to a window and Bess, the landlords daughter is introduced. She must have been expecting him as the poem reads, and who should be waiting there but the landlords black eyed daughter, Bess, the landlords daughter, plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair. The fourth and fifth stanzas talk of the landlord listening into the highwayman and his daughters conversation about stealing gold, One kiss my bonny sweetheart, Im after a prize tonight, but I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light, yet if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day, then look for me be moonlight. This is a key part of the poem because the reader finds out that although the highwayman is in love with Bess, he is also a criminal. The sixth stanza describes the highwayman riding off in to the night on his horse.

The first stanza of part two is stating that the highwayman did not come back during the day, he did not come in the dawning, he did not come at noon, and out o the tawny sunset, before the rise o the moon. The stanza also introduces some new characters the kings men, When the road was a gypsys ribbon, looping the purple moor, A red-coat troop came marching- marching- marching- King Georges men cane marching, up the old inn door. This suggests that the kings men are looking for the highwayman as the description of the entrance was the same as the description of the entrance of the highwayman.