Why did highwaymen do what they did?
A highwayman was a type of robber who attacked people who were travelling. Some highwaymen robbed alone but others worked in gangs. They often targeted coaches because they did not have much defence, stealing money, jewellery and other valuable items. The penalty for robbery with violence was to be executed by hanging.
How did the highwayman betray the lovers?
The lovers are betrayed by a jealous stablehand, and soldiers attempt to trap the highwayman by taking Bess hostage. In an oddly sadistic scene, the soldiers tie Bess up with a gun pointing into her chest, and then wait in ambush for the highwayman.
How did the highwayman meet his end?
Betrayed to the authorities by Tim, a jealous ostler, the highwayman escapes ambush when Bess sacrifices her life to warn him. Learning of her death, he is killed in a futile attempt at revenge (“so they shot him down on the highway, like a dog upon the highway”).
What was the purpose of the poem The Highwayman?
The narrative poem, “ The Highwayman ” by Alfred Noyes, is a story about love, murder, sacrifice, and heartbreak. Noyes’ purpose in writing the poem is to simply tell a story about England and the love between the highwayman, a criminal who robs people as they travel the roads, and the innkeeper’s daughter, Bess.
What did a highwayman do in the 1800s?
A highwayman was a type of robber who attacked people who were travelling. Highwaymen often rode on horses. They were common in the British Isles from the time of Elizabeth I through to the 1800s. Some highwaymen robbed alone but others worked in gangs. They often targeted coaches because they did not have much defence,…
What happens at the end of the highwayman?
Bess is able to escape from where they tied her up and in an act of desperation, she kills herself as he rides up the road. The shot warns him that something is wrong and he runs. But, when he finds out what has happened he returns, is shot dead, and then reunited with Bess in the afterlife.
What kind of structure does the highwayman have?
Although Noyes wrote “The Highwayman” at the beginning of the Modernist period, the poem seems more characteristic of the Victorian period. The poem is notable for its logical narrative structure and its vivid, highly detailed descriptions—elements the Modernists tended to avoid. Noyes,